My Name is on His Roll
"And now for something completely different," as Monty Python used to say.
This Sunday, JerCom Photo is taking a short break from our “Churches of Tuscaloosa County, at Night” series.
Another aspect of Southern churches that has long fascinated me is their signs—particularly the ones that contain puns or other wordplay. Porter St. Paul C. M. E. Church recently had text on both sides of its sign:
Jesus is my rock; my name is on his roll (note proper use of a semicolon—unusual in church signs)
When life is
hard
pray harder
(could use some punctuation, probably a comma).
Who writes these texts?
I’m convinced that Christian churches must subscribe to a service or there is a Website somewhere that generates them. I can’t believe that the church staff comes up with fresh ones week after week.
The week before I shot these signs, my friend Sylvia alerted me to a classic sign at Porter St. Paul: “This church is prayer-conditioned.”
Please add your favorite church signs to the comments!
As a photographer, I’ve been stumped by how to shoot these church signs in a way that also shows the churches’ facades. A recent multiple-exposure challenge from Aminus3 Photography inspired me to create these three in-camera (i.e., no Photoshop) multiple exposures of Porter St. Paul.
I think I prefer the image that simultaneously displays both sides of the sign (above), but I’m not certain. So, I include a couple below with just a single sign.
Honestly, I’m not certain how successful these images are! I’d love to get some feedback on them.
The Story Behind “The Churches of Tuscaloosa County, At Night” Series
Please see a previous, extended essay for background on the series.
Photo (EXIF) Deets (for the first photograph):
Camera Model: Fujifilm GFX 100S
Date Time Original: Aug 28, 2025 at 9:11:48 AM
Original dimensions: 11648x8736
Three RAW files were combined, in camera, to generate a single JPEG.
Exposure Time: 1/125
FNumber: 5.6
Focal Length: 55
Focal Length In 35mm Film: 44
Photographic Sensitivity (ISO): 100
Lens Make: FUJIFILM
Lens Model: GF55mmF1.7 R WR
© Copyright 2025 Jeremy Butler.
Very cool!! I love seeing this from you.
Driving through the Southern US, I was first amazed by the number of churches, but equally the humour on the many signs I saw. The signs offer a smile most times. A quick break. Great post, thank you!