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Did you know that there used to be ministers who would live in work in cars on trains? I had briefly heard of this ministry from days gone by and found myself intrigued by the notion. When NutsAboutBooks had the Chapel Car Bride up for review I snatched it up so I could learn more about this ministry.
The story brings us Hope and her father who live in car provided freely for them by the railroad. They went wherever the train went, conducting ministry wherever they were placed. Sometimes the board overseeing their ministry would give them a specific place to set up shop and in this particular story they were told to minister in a mining community of Finch, West Virginia. This is Hope’s first journey with her minister father and she’s finding the experience interesting, exciting and sometimes frightening. She enjoys conducting the children’s ministry while her father teaches the adults.
When an unexpected blessing of Sunday school materials lands in their laps it gives them an opportunity to broaden their ministry outreach, unbeknownst to them that their helper was being less than honest with them. What will happen as a result? Well…you’ll have to read the book yourself. 🙂
This video will give you a good idea of the space that Hope and her dad lived in.
My thoughts?
I’ve grown tired of most romance type books, finding the stories simplistic and annoying. 🙂 BUT this book I enjoyed. I liked learning about the pros and cons of railroad ministry, seeing how God used materials to strengthen bonds between people, and even seeing how the problems in the book were resolved. If you like reading light romances that broaden your horizons, this book is definitely for you. 🙂
I got a chance to learn more about a little known piece of history from the early 1900’s, the characters were well-developed and I wanted to kick one of them in the seat of the pants.. my that lad needed to grow up a bit and stop being a selfish git. The ending was tidy and quick, fairly typical I find for this type of literature. All in all, well worth a read. 🙂
For a brief look into the overall ministry of the chapel car ministry you may find this video helpful.
For additional reading:
Pine Chapel Car.
Chapel Car Emmanuel.
The Chapel Car Bride
Judith Miller
Baker Books
341 pages
Soft cover
Christian historical romance
Reviewed for: Nuts About Books.
Where to buy:
Amazon.ca – The Chapel Car Bride
Amazon.com – The Chapel Car Bride
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Had no idea there was a ministry like this but what a good one! Very interesting. – Lori
definitely an interesting ministry.