BREMERTON — Within the hull-shaped roof of Memorial Lutheran Church are so many memories for Don Schultz.
There were happy times, like baptisms and weddings, along with some solemn ones.
"I buried my mom and my dad, my grandma and my grandpa, and my wife, all in this congregation," said Schultz, the head elder of what's now called Community of Christ at Memorial Lutheran Church.
Now, Schultz and others are mourning the loss of the church itself.
"It’s a real grieving process," he said.
Once a community of hundreds of members, the 114-year-old congregation has dwindled to just 25 — not enough to support a pastor for Sunday service. Those left did all they could to keep going, but have decided it's time to shut down for good.
"Our congregation has shrunk rather dramatically in the past two years," said CJ Nevijel, vice president of the church's council, noting other churches on the peninsula have also struggled to keep congregants.
The church dates back to 1900, when members met inside family homes. It has been at 10th Street and Veneta Avenue since 1941. About 20 years later, a $125,000 project to build a wood and brick sanctuary was completed. In the Lutheran tradition, its structure resembles an upside-down boat.
"Flip it over and it’ll sail," Nevijel said.
The church, which helped form numerous offshoot "daughter congregations" in Kitsap, will sign its property over to the Lutherans' district headquarters in Portland. They'll put the property, along with its sanctuary, up for sale.
Another church would have first opportunity to buy it. But if none comes forward?
"If it goes to a developer, then the odds are pretty good this property will be bulldozed down, along with this beautiful sanctuary," Nevijel said.
That also spells the end for a gathering place of community functions, which have included City Council meetings and block parties. A 31-year-old preschool will also close and a fellow congregation that rents the sanctuary will have to find a new home.
The congregation gathered at 2 p.m. Sunday for a final service — a "celebration." Congregants exited with their heads held high and an eye toward the future.
"This isn’t an end of the church," Schultz said. "This is just a new beginning for us as we close our doors. we will go elsewhere and put our time and talents to use in other congregations. And continue God’s work."
