God won’t take cash.
On Jekyll Island, at least, He won’t.
If you want to pray at Faith Chapel, bring your Visa or American Express. Because the newly imposed $5 entrance fee for the nondenominational church is payable, for now, only by plastic.
Jones Hooks, who runs the Jekyll Island Authority, recently instituted the fee for the ornate wooden chapel that sits beautifully in the state park’s historic district beckoning worshipers and heat-stressed tourists alike. He hopes to defray maintenance, utility and fire district costs.
Community uproar, and statewide guffaws, prodded Hooks to waive the fee, which went into effect Monday, between 8 and 10 a.m. daily. Critics, though, remain opposed to the so-called pay-to-pray proposal for Faith Chapel on the barrier island which is required by law to remain “available to people of average income.”
Visitors can trek over to the island’s history museum to buy a ticket with cash. The chapel will accept cash “once the full point-of-sale-system is in place.”
Support real journalism. Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today. See offers.
Your subscription to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution funds in-depth reporting and investigations that keep you informed. Thank you for supporting real journalism.