One last post

Pastor Eddie Gallegos prays with a member of the congregation at his church in south Oklahoma City. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman

When he was 13, a friend put a tattoo of a spider web on Eddie Gallegos’s left hand. Back then, he was a member of Gran Barrio Central (GBC), and went by the name ‘Spider.’ Today, Pastor Eddie has a small, but devoted congregation in a borrowed sanctuary in south Oklahoma City. Eddie, who leads emotional, song-filled services, delivers his sermons in Spanish and English as paces at the front of the church. He’s the son of a preacher, a husband and a father who says that he accepted God’s plan for his life while sitting in prison.

Pastor Eddie Gallegos at his church in south Oklahoma City. Gallegos is a former member of the GBC and the son of a preacher. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman

Pastor Eddie Gallegos delivers an emotional sermon at La Roca Community Church at his church in south Oklahoma City. Gallegos is a former member of the GBC and the son of a preacher. Photo by John Clanton, The Oklahoman

These are a few of my favorite pictures of Pastor Eddie and his church. I was slow to get these pictures into Merlin, which I regret, but I wanted to publish them before I leave The Oklahoman. After six years of taking pictures, making slideshows and videos and writing for Alternate Crop, I’m leaving the newspaper after today. I’ll continue to work in multimedia, just in a different place.