50th Church Of Purposed Faith

I liked the 50th Church of Purpose Faith, but I did not love it. I have been collecting Department 56 Christmas in the City buildings and other pieces for many years now. They were to be an addition to my train layout, but now are the dominant portion of my layout. I am used to the great detail, finish, and the fact that the buildings were ceramic. Unfortunately, Department 56 is transitioning to resin materials versus the ceramics they have used previously. I understand that the resin is more lightweight and durable than ceramic, but I just really like the look and feel of ceramic buildings more. Because resins are used, the finials are not perfectly vertical. It's not noticeable once you place the building among other items, but if you are paying attention to detail, it's noticeable. Though the resin is supposed to give you more intricate detail, compared to the older buildings made of ceramic, there are parts of this building that just look like plastic. But enough of the negatives, now for the positive.

I like the gold paint that was used for the steeples and finals. The color is very eye-catching. I also like the stained glass windows that are used in the steeple and the windows. The pictures that I took do not do them justice. I also appreciate the LED lights that are used versus the incandescent bulbs. Finally, to light the building, a cord assembly is used similar to what is used for cell phones. What I like about this is to plug the building up, I only need to make a small hole in my styrofoam platform to insert the cord and then attach the plug afterwards.

Country N More Gifts has the best pricing for Department 56 pieces available. My only disappointment is they do not have enough staff members to return calls. I've tried to reach out to them for 3 weeks, and have not gotten a return call. In the past, when I am able to speak to a person, they are very pleasant and helpful. With their pricing, I am sure they get a lot of calls that need to be handled, and this is the start of vacation for many.