It was this writer's privilege and blessing to visit Zion, Illinois from July 14- 24.
Zion was founded in 1900 by evangelist and faith healer John Alexander Dowie . It was to be a city free from the evils of the surrounding society, a modern day Utopia for Dowie's faithful followers.
Zion is located, as Dowie put it, halfway between "Beer and Babel" (Milwaukee and Chicago), near the Illinois- Wisconsin border.
Now a somewhat typical "secular" city with a population of over 20,000, Zion is still considered by historians to be the spiritual birthing ground for many early Pentecostal pioneers and their ministries.
My interest in Zion stems from my long acquaintance with and interest in Radiant Glory by Gordon P. Gardiner. (Radiant Glory is the life story of Martha Wing Robinson, a minister in Dr. Dowie's church and later a leader in the Zion Faith Homes until her death in 1936.)
Recently I developed a website on the life and ministry of John Alexander Dowie and decided a visit to his beloved city was in order, to explore the town's past and present - and to gain spiritual refreshment for my soul....
Here then are some of the pictures I took on my recent trip, with appropriate comments.
God bless,
David K. Eames Albany, NY