The Church is Dead, the Faith Lives On.
This page contains information that is not consistent with the current state of the Far-Verona Faction Turn game, due to the dissolution of The Church of Humanity, Repentant. Follow the evolution of the Repentant faith here, and find information about the faction now controlling the W&O centers here.
The most basic CHR W&O center, with only a Welcome Area, Library, and Chapel.
In addition to places of worship dedicated to and managed by specific sects or religious orders, the Church of Humanity Repentant also maintains more general welcome and outreach centers across the sector. These are staffed by members from a variety of local sects or orders, and funded by the Church as a whole via the Concord.
The architecture of these spaces varies from planet to planet but several feature a style known as "HUBINN", a rough fusion of Imperial and the alien Cah-Binn designs. This was at one time a popular fad, thought by the CHR to promote another avenue of understanding between the two races, but in practice the sharp textures from the imitation Cah-Binn carvings was generally considered uncomfortable and would snag loose clothing. This style is also known to accidentally offer great acoustics, and local musicians often hang around CHR W&O Centers to record and practice.
Ground Floor[]
A larger CHR W&O center with a soup kitchen attached on the ground floor.
The primary, publicly accessible, area of most CHR W&O Centers is compromised of at least three areas: a reception and office, a chapel, and a library. In addition, larger facilities will include dedicated areas serving as, for example, soup kitchens or community centers. The exact layout varies, and in places where space is in short supply, some or all of these may be merged into single rooms.
Reception and Office[]
A general reception area with several desks, as well as an open waiting area with comfortable chairs and a coffee table.
While doing double duty as an office of sorts, the primary purpose of this area is to welcome people who just happen to come in with questions about the church, or to help people make appointments or make use of the library or chapel.
Around the room hang CHR posters. Pamphlets and information brochures are stacked at various places, including on the coffee table and in racks near the entrance. On the coffee table there are bowls of stim, sugar, and mint tablets. In the back there's a kettle and a selection of local and Cabina Cups tea brands. When there are no visitors, those working at the desks will busy themselves with general administrative duties and digital communications such as answering mails.
Chapel[]
A quiet area. It is relatively unadorned, except for some general church symbols and some symbols of whatever are the dominant sects or orders locally. There would be benches and space for services, but in most W&O Centers its main function is as peaceful area where people, whether of the faith or not, can come to sit and rethink.
Services held in these chapels generally serve more than just religious purposes, as most local sects and religious orders holding regular services will maintain dedicated spaces of their own. (See, for example, temples of the Infinite Chant of the Soul Indivisible.) Services held in W&O centers are then, to list some common examples, services for individuals not served by any major local sect or order, services by visiting preachers not tied to any specific local sect or order, services for pilgrims passing through, or services for non-initiated interested in learning more about the CHR as a whole.
In addition, W&O chapels are also used for regular lectures on any number of topics related to CHR interests, or to host debates.
Lastly, W&O chapels are often used for a variety of cultural events, from dances to music performances. Most well-known to people other than local CHR members tend to be the events to watch matches of the Cabina Fever Psiball team.
Library[]
A library, generally managed by a priest-librarian, stocked with both religious and secular texts. It provides a place for people who wish to learn more about the Church, but also a location where the Church keeps and preserves books and digital records important to the local faithful communities but likely to be neglected by High Church or secular libraries.
The library will also generally hold solitary reading rooms where people may read in private to think or meditate on the texts.
First Floor[]
Dependent on the size of the center, there may be a first floor. These spaces can serve a variety of functions, for example:
- Guest rooms for pilgrims to stay while passing through.
- A small clinic where CHR doctors provide medical care to those not able or allowed to receive it elsewhere.
- A soup kitchen, for those that do not have room on the ground floor.
- A studio for group meditations or spiritual exercises.