What does The Church represent?

The church is the center of Catherine Grace's life, if not the center of all Ringgold life. It is the kingdom, and Catherine's father is the king. Even if Catherine doesn't always embrace all aspects of her father's faith, she accepts how town motives are fed through the lens of the Baptist faith. Several key scenes in the story take place at the church, many of them scenes of conflict until the end, where Catherine lays her father to rest with grace and forgiveness.