Groton ― In the final moments of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church’s existence, which was marked by a celebration service on Sunday, a group of congregation members stood in the church’s kitchen, chatting and scraping off food from trays from a potluck meal.

Through the kitchen doorway, they were watched by Kelly Milton and Kaley Kokomoor, two more congregation members, who had each spent more than 20 years with the congregation.

“It’s not going to be here anymore,” Milton said.

“There’s nothing in the cupboards. There’s no plates. But they’ve gone to good places,” Kokomoor added.

Earlier this month, the congregation had announced the church at 310 Fort Hill Road, which had been open more than six decades, would be closing amid declining membership following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The church and grounds are slated to be sold, and many of the fixtures of the church have already been gutted ― sold or donated to other churches. Another church bought the organ, members said, and the chairs, pulpit, lectern and baptismal font are going to MLK Jr. Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Mass., which was burnt in a hate crime arson.

On Sunday, the Rev. G.W. “Blake” Blakesley, a pastor for the Presbytery of Southern New England, which oversees this church and others in this state, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, delivered the church’s final sermon.

“I don’t pretend to know what you feel. But I’m guessing your emotions are running the gamut. Maybe some of you are sad, because this is the last time you’ll sit in this pew, with this community, in this building, just as it is right now,” he said. “... Maybe you’re feeling bad. Maybe you’re feeling angry that the church got away from you. ‘We could have saved this church! We could have done more to make it happen!’ Maybe you got angry, not only at yourself, but at others that made the decision to close the church. Maybe that’s the emotion you bring here. Maybe these two emotions exist side by side.”

As the church organist belted out the final number, and people in the pews, some of whom had come for the first time in a while after hearing the church was closing for good, took a last look at its sparsely decorated walls, the mood was understandably somber.

But members were equally appreciative of the moments they’d gotten to share with one another, during which they’d witnessed life-changing events like marriage or baptisms, to things as small as calling each other up to give rides or fix things around the house.

Aaron Jesse, whose family joined the congregation after moving to the state from Oregon in 2010, said the church was instrumental in developing and fostering his relationship with God.

“And, seeing myself now, I couldn’t imagine a better place to be ― a better place to come back to and reminisce and see a lot of friendly faces, and loving people. Again, I can’t thank you all enough,” he said.

Why did it close?

At the date of closing, the congregation featured 57 members, down significantly in the past few years, members said, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Presbyterians are kind of set in their ways. A lack of wanting to change. And that’s how other churches have thrived. They change with the times,” Milton said. “... We are a traditional church. Very much traditional. And once COVID hit, that really destroyed us. That was the start of our downward spiral. And the younger generation wants the more contemporary churches. That’s what we see.”

Blakesley said St. Andrew wasn’t the only one to be hit hard by the pandemic.

“Most churches will talk about what we used to be before COVID, and what we are now, after COVID. Because think about it, for almost three years, every part of the church stops,” he said. “We can’t meet in person. If you have a preschool, it closes. If you have groups, like AA groups or NA groups, and groups that use your facility - they can’t meet. So the church basically doesn’t get to do much of anything for almost three years. Some churches adapted well to that, and some didn’t.”

Milton said they had tried to hold church services and meetings over video meeting app ZOOM, but it wasn’t the same.

“That one-on-one connection wasn’t there,” she said.

What’s to become of the church?

Blakesley, along with the chairwoman of the presbytery, Beth Aura Miller, now act as “the church,” and having already been charged with navigating it through the closing. He said the members of the St. Andrew congregation, now disbanded, are expected to transfer to other churches nearby.

His and Miller’s foremost job, he said, is to “take care of people,” making sure they find churches at which they can continue to worship.

He said the congregation spent two Sundays in the last two months worshiping at two other churches, Mystic United Church of Christ and Dunn’s Corner Community Church Presbyterian in Westerly, getting to know the people there to see whether they would be suitable replacements.

Blakesley said he has already signed several transfer papers for congregation members, and said he hopes that despite members going separate ways, that they continue their devotion to God.

Now, he and Miller will be the ones to work with realtors to assist with the sale of the property, along with hiring a company to maintain the grounds and balancing church accounts to make sure they’re positive, Blakesley said.

“This is a big building on a big lot, in a location that’s pretty accessible, with a couple highways going by, and all the stuff that’s in the building,” he said

Milton said there have been a few churches that have toured the property so far with the realtor.

“And a synagogue. And the synagogue folks have been here four times. We’re optimistic,” she said.

“And we’d love it.,” Blakesley said. “’Cause, we’ve got to sell the building. And we’d love it if it ended up in the faith community. That would just be awesome.”

But to the St. Andrew congregation, it will be missed.

“Our kids grew up here,” Susan Gordon, a 25-year congregation member said. “So yeah, it was a great church.”

d.drainville@theday.com