About Us

The Portland/Vancouver branch of People of Praise is located in cities sitting on opposite banks of the Columbia River in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, the lofty Cascade Mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Interest in covenant community began in a Vancouver prayer group in the mid-1970s, leading in 1981 to the formation of a covenant community fashioned after the People of Praise. In 1983, after the People of Praise began accepting locations outside of South Bend, the Vancouver community became a mission branch. In September 1986, twenty-three members made the covenant. In 1996 the Brotherhood established a house in Portland, in 2001 a Community Center was purchased and in 2003 couples from the northern Virginia Branch arrived to facilitate expansion in Portland. Branch meetings alternate between private homes (for that in-home hospitality) and the Community Center. Charlie Fraga and Fred Dang are branch leaders. There are 53 adults and 12 children in the branch, 16 married couples and 21 singles.