​Allen Agostino​ 

There are 12 Baptist churches within a three block radius of my house in Bushwick. They mostly occupy small store fronts along Broadway and a few main floors of brownstones on the streets that run adjacent. The churches often function as catalysts for their communities. Many of them feed their parishioners. However, many take donations not only for the church but for the pastors and bishops themselves. They also frankly preach hate and ignorance, in the form of illicit anti-gay and anti-science remarks. All of the churches sit half empty. I believe there are so many Baptist churches because young men and now women grow up idolizing that Pastor and thus strive to become one. These pastors then set out to create churches of their own. I want to show just how beautiful and ugly these places can be.