A historic church in Alabama named Five Mile Presbyterian Church has made the painful choice to close its doors due to dwindling and elderly membership permanently. This past Sunday was the final worship service, capping 182 years of community service and the end of an era.
Sharon Eich, the church's lay pastor, said that this occurrence is a certain sadness. She expressed her gratitude for the congregation's longstanding position as a community guiding light, as AL.com reported on Friday.
Historic Five Mile Presbyterian Church Closes After 182 Years Amid Declining Attendance
According to the article in Fox News, there were roughly 40 people attending the church when Eich assumed the position of lay pastor in 2002. However, with the majority of the congregation now in their 80s, attendance has since dropped to just nine. Eich explained, "Time will pass.
Built around 1880, the white clapboard church has a bell tower. Eich clarified that despite its historical appeal, it only has 30 seats and is devoid of contemporary conveniences like restrooms or air conditioning. The closing of Five Mile Presbyterian Church is a sad reminder of the difficulties tiny and elderly congregations face in maintaining their communities and preserving their history.
In the story in Associated Press News, John Knox, a professor at the University of Georgia and the son of the late Rev. Harold Knox, who served as the congregation's pastor from 1963 to 1999, gave a historical lecture before Sunday's final service.
While a 1958 brick sanctuary and fellowship hall will be owned by a Presbyterian administrative entity and probably sold to another congregation, the church, and an adjacent Civil War-era cemetery will be placed in a trust.
The closure of Five Mile Presbyterian Church serves as a reminder of the difficulties faced by aging and small congregations in maintaining their communities and preserving their heritage. Eich remembered the congregation with affection, saying that it was such a wonderful, loving congregation that had blessed her whole life.
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Over 50 People Attend Farewell Service at Historic Five Mile Presbyterian Church From Being Down to Just Nine
According to another source, AL said that the Huffman neighborhood pioneer-era church's Sunday services had been just about nine persons in recent years.
On the other hand, more than 50 people showed up on Sunday to say goodbye to the old church. Because of the unexpectedly large turnout, there weren't enough communion cups to distribute grape juice to everyone. The church ran out of written versions of its history in addition to the loaf of communion bread, which was cut up and distributed on trays.
An era comes to an end with the closing of the church, which has played an essential role in the town for almost two centuries. The goodbye service emphasizes the influence Five Mile Presbyterian Church has had on its members and the larger community, as well as the difficulties small. Elderly congregations confront upholding their communities and safeguarding their histories.
Related Article: Two Centuries-Old Church Permanently Closes Over Dwindling Membership
