BRIDGEPORT, Ohio – The members and pastor of the former Kirkwood Presbyterian Church in Bridgeport are expressing gratitude to the community for 175 years of support for the church and its mission.
“That includes more than 30 years of Vacation Bible School every summer,” said the Rev. David Demarest, “as well as our rummage sales, ecumenical services, and turkey dinners of long ago.”
Demarest said the church had been experiencing the same decline affecting many mainline congregations across the country. “Fewer and fewer people are attending church these days, and that loss is especially felt by traditional denominations like the Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, and Episcopalians.”
He said a combination of dwindling attendance and rising expenses made it difficult for the small congregation to continue. “Essentially, the church closed because of dwindling attendance and rising expenses, but the nail in the coffin was the need for a new roof.” He noted that although the roof underwent significant repairs a few years ago, recent severe storms tore off many of the newly replaced shingles.
Kirkwood Presbyterian held its final regular service on Good Friday, April 18. A celebration of the congregation’s life and witness followed on April 27, with former pastor the Rev. Susan Finck returning to preach.
The church’s roots trace back to 1850, when the first Presbyterian meeting house was built in Kirkwood. It formally organized as a church in 1851 under its first pastor, the Rev. James Alexander. The original meeting house was replaced in 1854, but that structure was destroyed by fire in 1887. The current brick building was completed in 1889, with a major addition in 1913 to accommodate the more than 500 students who attended Sunday School at the time.
Over the decades, the church building served as a hub for community activity. It hosted Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, Narcotics Anonymous meetings, and actively participated in the Bridgeport Christian Friendship Council of Churches since the council’s founding.
Funds from the sale of the church’s organ, along with the remaining balance of the congregation’s accounts, were donated to local ministries supported by the Friendship Council, including its food pantry, LifeWise Academy of Bridgeport, and Laughlin Chapel in Wheeling.
“We are thrilled that the church’s legacy will be one of working with our sisters and brothers in Christ to bring faith, hope, and help to our neighbors,” Demarest said. “And on a personal note, I’m thrilled that I still get to see the former Kirkwood members on Sundays – as all of the active members have transferred either to Rock Hill Presbyterian in Bellaire or First Presbyterian in Martins Ferry.”
Demarest has served as pastor at Rock Hill Presbyterian for the past ten years and began pastoring the Martins Ferry congregation shortly after Kirkwood closed.
The Kirkwood church building was sold soon after its closure.
