Asbury Church the “crown” and the “cupcake chapel,”Indian School Road - Architect Mel Ensign

Variously known as the “crown” and the “cupcake chapel,” this little puff-pastry of a church on Indian School Road and 15th Avenue has inspired bemused looks and drive-by double-takes since its first service in 1967. Architect Mel Ensign reportedly based its snack-cake design on the Old Testament “Rose of Sharon” pseudonym for Christ. “The crosses on top are life-giving stamens and pistils,” Ensign wrote. “The [chapel] is a seed-pod where life is regenerated.” Ensign’s notes also indicate that the chapel “represents a crown for kinship with Jesus.” Pastor Stephen Govett evinces a certain fondness for the tiny, 74-person chapel, which gets less use than the larger “sanctuary” church next door. “We use it for special services and nighttime services,” he says. “We’ve had a couple of weddings there.” In keeping with the gay-friendly ministry’s non-patriarchal gestalt, both the cupcake chapel and the sanctuary hold services in-the-round.