Two long-serving churches in Washago and Ardtrea closed their doors for good following their respective Christmas Eve services.
The Severn Bridge Pastoral Charge closed both Heritage United Church and its sister church, Ardtrea United Church on Menoke Beach Road. They are the latest local victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, says Rev. Jim McKean.
“The congregation is aging, the people who are doing the governing of the church are tired, and they are burnt out,” McKean said.
“Through the pandemic, it’s been extremely difficult for me as the minister to help Severn Shores United get beyond where they once were,” he added.
Finances did not play much of a role in the closing of the churches, McKean says, but he noted the pandemic has made it difficult for the older congregation to stay involved.
“People like to be together, so we held Zoom services right through until September, and the average attendance was somewhere between 20 and 25 people, which was a little bit low,” he said.
“We have very few people under the age of 50; congregations are aging, and society believes churches are either redundant or toxic. This is the result of that when an organization has so few people to lift the energy to keep it going."
Now, the United Church denomination has no presence in the Washago community. However, there are other United churches where members of the congregations can go, such as Gravenhurst or Orillia.
“There has been a lot of charity work done by the congregation over the years, and the buildings were rented out to other organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous and community organizations that needed space, and now they will have to find somewhere else to go,” McKean said.
The 161-year-old Heritage United Church building will either be repurposed or sold; the same goes for Ardtrea United Church.
As for McKean, he will retire.
“Nobody wants to close a church. It’s extremely difficult to make this decision, but our congregation voted to close,” he explained.
The last in-person services were scheduled for Christmas Eve, but were cancelled due to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases. Instead, a virtual service was held.
