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Traveling chapel

Message from Pastor Peter Marty

Christianity on the move

By Pastor Peter Marty

The Reverend Branford Clarke was a resourceful guy. That much can be said. His theology was intolerable, with enough Ku Klux Klan leanings and anti-Semitic utterances to make one croak. But the ingenuity of this young Brooklyn, New York, cleric was off the charts. It may have even been biblical, if there is such a thing as “biblical ingenuity.” More on that in a moment.

In the early 1920s, Clarke converted his Model T into a traveling chapel. It was a fancy deal. There were stained glass windows on three sides, an organ in the back seat that his wife would play, and even a collapsible steeple so that he could park it in the garage. One has to wonder where parishioners sat if Clarke’s wife and organ took up the back seat. I suppose a literal reading of “where two or three are gathered together” meant that only one worshiper alongside the Clarkes would top out the equation.

The biblical story of faith is one of God’s people constantly being on the move. It is not an account of people sitting down and figuring out what they believe. The Israelites carried around the Ark of the Covenant — a large acacia wood box — as they traveled. For them, it was as good as having God never leave their side. Followers of Jesus quickly realized that if they were going to keep up with this one who had “nowhere to lay his head,” they were going to have to be itinerant in their own way, moving with him as they journeyed through life.

I have long held the belief that when a member of our congregation becomes infirm enough to be unable to attend St. Paul any longer, we will “bring the church” to that individual. Such is our promise. We may bring “it” through radio broadcast, phone call, or the Journey newsletter. In our best moments, we bring it through presence — the rich blessing of being in the same room together, sharing life, prayer, and the bread and wine of love.

Rev. Clarke has me thinking, however. I could adapt my four-door sedan with some modest work. Tinting the glass would be a breeze. Building a removable steeple is well within my woodworking capability. Fitting the Bigelow organ and organist Chris Nelson together in the back seat is the only problem for which I have yet to find a solution.

Pastor Peter Marty,

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