Three acres of property in the middle of Portland is a gold mine. They should sell the building and divvy up the money to fun their retirement. (Not sure who owns the church?).
Lots of empty churches in Portland, that is for sure. On the other hand their are so many people going to church in Beaverton that the police come out to direct traffic every Sunday. I think the believers have moved out of the city, which is now full of Wiccans, as the article explains.
Not too many families want to send kids to Portland public schools.
As a former Presbyterian (PCUSA), I could tell you that the property is not owned by the church, but the Presbytery, which is the local organization of churches.
Holy Rosary, not far from downtown Portland, packs ‘em in pretty good.
But it’s not watered-down, liberal Christianity, which is what you find at these dying congregations.