old time religion by Jim Linderman: old time religion Portable Church

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old time religion Portable Church

Today those who put up portable churches are known as "Church Planters" and it appears to be a thriving business. It also appears the most thriving business which parks church buildings on "a solid foundation" of gravel is located in Michigan. They don't just drive up and unload, their website claims to "launch" them.

Seems to me there are plenty of abandoned buildings suitable for pews already…many of them used to called "malls" and practiced the increasingly lost art of "retail location." While I would rather spend ANY Sunday morning at The Waffle House rather than a mini-sanctuary, those all seem to be down south and permanently installed. I am not sure if Portable Church Industries operates tax free, as nearly all churches do…but the next time I put up a pole barn, I'm going to call it a church.

I did not find anything on the original portable church shown above. It was apparently temporarily installed in Baltimore, MD. It is signed on the reverse by a preacher named "Melvin" but Lord knows I am not going to spend much time trying to identify him.

I did find the first portable church. in an 1909 issue of Popular Mechanics! It appears on the page next to the invention of the treadmill! If you ask me, it is a far more interesting invention.

Portable Church Real Photo Postcard dated 1909. Collection Old Time Religion

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