The congregation at Portland was planted in the summer of 1866 when Brother David Lipscomb travelled to Portland to preach an eight-day meeting at the Cold Springs schoolhouse*. As a result of that meeting, sixteen souls were added to Christ and the church at Portland was born. The church continued to meet in the Cold Springs schoolhouse for 30 years until, in 1896, they built a one-room frame building at the current location on North Russell Street. By 1898, the membership of the church had grown to 135.

The church at Portland continued to grow steadily until it became necessary to build a larger auditorium. The old building was sold, torn down and removed to make way for a new structure which was begun in 1948. Completed in May, 1949, this building served the Portland congregation well for several years. By 1966, the membership had reached 500 and a great need for additional classroom space prompted the building of an educational annex at the rear of the building. This project was followed by an addition and renovation to the auditorium in 1972-73 that brought the building to its present state.

Throughout its history, many great men in the brotherhood have filled the pulpit of this congregation during meetings including David Lipscomb, E.G. Sewell, E.A. Elam, J.A. Harding, A.G. Freed, G.C. Brewer, N.B. Hardeman, Hugo McCord, and Foy E. Wallace. Other faithful and devoted servants of Christ, less known but no less committed, have served and labored here as elders and preachers throughout the years. This congregation has a great history of being a sound, mission-minded, evangelistic congregation of the Lord's church.

As bright and notable as our history has been, we believe that the future is even brighter. We look forward to serving God in this community in the years to come and are excited about the opportunities that God has given us. We are proud to be a light to this community and strive to bring honor to God and to our Lord, Jesus Christ in all that we do.

* The Cold Springs Schoolhouse, which served as the first meeting place of the Portland Church of Christ, still exist today. Some years ago, it was moved to Richland Park where is stands as a reminder of the history of this community