This shot of Pearl Valley Baptist Church is one of my favorite shots of the Appalachia portfolio. While driving through the hills and hollows of eastern Tennessee in 1973, I came across this little white Baptist church high on a hill in the sunshine. To get to it from the road, you had to park your car in the weeds and cross these planks. Someone thoughtfully strung a cable to steady people as they crossed the makeshift bridge on their way to Sunday services. Even though this church was the same denomination as the church on the corner of Sheridan and Wilson in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, the lifestyles of the members were a world apart. Crossing this footbridge was a test of faith.
