![]() Services - a broad term for what takes place in the room - are held Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Johnson and his wife, Cyndy, a soft-spoken woman with an easy smile, get to the truck stop and put small foldable signs in the back lot to let truckers know the chapel is open. There are no pews, choir or offering plate in the Troutdale truck-stop chapel. “He did such a good job that it’s now his chapel.” ![]() Johnson, a former high-school wrestler from Iowa, stands 6-feet 5 inches and is a solid 275 pounds, a presence among any group of truckers. He received what he called a blessing when 71-year-old Greg Johnson, who lives in Troutdale with his wife of 52 years, heard about the chapel and paid a visit. It was a taxing schedule, but he vowed to keep it up until he could find a replacement. Cope stepped in, holding services in both Aurora and Troutdale. Two years ago, the Troutdale truck stop chaplain died after running it for 20 years. “My wish,” he said, “is that I draw my last breath in that chapel.” He and his wife now live at Aurora Travel Center in their 56-foot-long trailer. He and his wife wanted to be closer to family, and Cope wanted to continue doing the Lord’s work with truckers.Įverything fell into place when the truck stop in Aurora - an easy drive from where his daughter lives in Vancouver - needed a chaplain. “At my age, I just can’t do the things I used to do.” When his vision started to deteriorate, Cope retired from trucking, but he continued traveling to help at truck-stop chapels. “Sometimes, the only thing that might help a driver comes from the spiritual side.” “There are a lot of problems and frustrations out on the road,” Cope said.
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