After more than 170 years of serving northern Harford County, the Deer Creek Harmony Presbyterian Church will hold its last service this Sunday.
The congregation had dwindled to about 20 members, most of whom are older than 85, the Rev. Susie Atkinson said Wednesday. Last year, the church, which is at the corner of Harmony Church Road and Route 161, briefly closed after finding structural problems, but that process turned up mold and deeper building issues.
Deer Creek yoked itself with Havre de Grace Presbyterian Church, with Atkinson serving as pastor for both congregations, but "ever since, people have been moving away; we had several middle-aged couples move away to be near their children," she said.
A final service is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday.
On its Facebook page, the congregation thanked "God for the opportunity to have served in this community" and said it decided to fold "after much prayer and discernment."
"May God's Spirit continue to grace these grounds forevermore," the post states. Last year, the church announced it would auction its parsonage.
Deer Creek Harmony was established in the 1830s by members of the Churchville Presbyterian Church, off of Route 22, long-time Churchville Presbyterian member David Hodge said. Churchville Presbyterian, which dates to 1738, no longer has any ties with Deer Creek Harmony, he said.
The Harmony congregation dates to 1832 and the building to 1871, Atkinson said.
Mary Gaut, interim general presbyter for the Presbytery of Baltimore, said the title and property of the church will revert to the presbytery.
"The first thing that is very important to say is, this is not a case of us, the Presbytery, going in and closing the church. This was their decision," Gaut said, explaining the congregation voted on Feb. 28 to dissolve.
"Through the years, it suffered from some of the same attrition as other congregations do, with demographic changes. The congregation had become quite small," Gaut said.
Atkinson also said the closure reflects broader changes in the nationwide Presbyterian Church, and is more "an economic-cultural thing than lack of trying."
"Most of the people in the area have established a church home, so it's just been hard to get new folks in," Atkinson said. "It's a sign of the times. It is a cultural shift in America, so people just are not joining like they used to."
Gaut said the property is not suitable for development and could potentially be used for another congregation, but no determination has been made on that.
"We celebrate the long and rich history of that congregation and all that was accomplished there – marriages, baptisms, sermons," she said.
Atkinson also noted the congregation does have money set aside for perpetual care of a cemetery on the site.
She also hopes for a new future for the church building.
"We hope that that another Christian congregation will come in and give it new life," she said.