BELLEFONTE, Pa. — The First Presbyterian Church in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1800 and held its final service on Christmas Eve.
The church was established in 1800 by the same people who founded Bellefonte, back when there were only 16 states, The Associated Press reported. For nearly 20 years, the church met at the courthouse.
One of the church elders, Candace Dannaker, told the Centre Daily Times that the church has seen the same decrease in attendance that other churches have. She estimated the church had 40 members before the pandemic, but that number had dropped to 25 by this year. Dannaker told the paper when she first joined the church 34 years ago, the congregation was closer to 200 people.
The church posted their final service, a Candlelight Christmas Eve service, to Facebook.
The building itself is scheduled to close for the last time on Dec. 31, but the future of the building has yet to be determined, The Associated Press reported.
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