Bellefonte church with 221-year history will hold its last service on Christmas Eve

[Freddie]

2. I was on Council when we decided to close our church

An older congregation, far more funerals than baptisms, a building that needed repair. One of 7 Lutheran (ELCA) churches in a onetime German Lutheran community; all but 1 of the remaining 6 are struggling. Closed in Jan. 2019, before Covid. The church I was baptized in, married, saw my children and grandchildren baptized and my daughter married there. I still miss the place and the people terribly, especially at Christmas.
We were hoping that the building would be sold to another church, but it was sold to an engineering firm that specializes in “other uses” for closed churches. It’s in a nice location near downtown. Was originally going to be turned into offices but with the trend in WFH, they’re reconsidering.