Angel Museum | thebereancall.org

TBC Staff

The Associated Press: The BeloitAngelMuseum features more than 7,500 angel statues displayed wing-to-wing in a former Roman Catholic church that was spared destruction so it could house the figures.  

They come in an amazing variety. There are angels made of resin, porcelain, drinking straws, pasta, coal, tin, ceramic, wood, papier mache, stained glass, pine cones, cornhusks, wax, clothes pins and seal skin. One was made from a dried apple. There's a firefighter angel, a hunter, nurse, pilot, doctor, bride and groom. One angel is tipsy, another is a bobble-head doll and some are even posing with devils. Others double as bells, candles, candle holders, vases, smoke alarms, coasters, lipstick holders, pencil sharpeners and salt and pepper shakers.

The display has made the Guinness Book of World Records and includes angels from around the globe: Oprah Winfrey donated a collection of black angels.  

Joyce Berg said she didn't start collecting angels because of religious beliefs. "What I hope (people) get out of it is the pleasure and the peaceful feeling and the enjoyment," Berg said. "But I do know ... for a lot of people it is a religious experience."