placeholder post about churches closing

[walkitout]

This is going to be another one of those more and more addenda posts, in this case, collecting examples of churches closing. What caught my eye was how unbelievably small the congregations got before the church decided to close.

http://www.newtondailynews.com/articles/2011/08/25/r_pnr2nqjdqj_rx3kz8ywa/index.xml

"Sunday will mark the final service for the church, just a few days short of its 142nd birthday. Sunday’s service, set for 2 p.m., will be a rare decommissioning and closing service for St. Paul’s, and Pastor Nancy Pick said that for her and the other eight remaining members of the congregation, it will seem something like a funeral."

It's going to become a house.

http://www.kimt.com/content/localnews/story/Area-Church-Closes-Doors/6vZAKJ39CUeLFqwKLIjUaQ.cspx

"Down to only 12 members, the congregation made the tough decision to close."

This one closed with a bigger congregation, and some people think it maybe wasn't _just_ financial issues:

http://westhollywood.patch.com/articles/crescent-heights-united-methodist-congregants-saddened-angry-over-church-closing

http://westhollywood.patch.com/articles/crescent-heights-methodist-church-was-too-gay-says-controversial-pastor

And look! Former Presbyterian Church property about to become a new apartment complex in Houston. I love it when memes collide.

http://www.chron.com/business/sarnoff/article/Luxury-apartments-will-replace-church-2143728.php