Ever since America established the car culture, there came a need for all-night retail establishments: onion rings, hot dogs, beer, pharmaceuticals – you get the picture. During the late Thirties this became apparent to the Reverend John Welles as he “drove aimlessly through the West” – he saw that it was quite possible to acquire hamburgers at all hours of the night, but if you wanted to speak with a minister of the Gospel, you were just plain out of luck. It was then that Welles swore to himself:
“If ever I have another church, it will be open day and night. The soul doesn’t come alive on Sunday mornings only, and some day I’ll build a church where people can pray whenever they wish.”
