Churches fight to stay open as attendance dwindles
abcnews.go.com
Churches faced with empty pews are fighting to keep their doors open, while former houses of worship are being converted into bars, clubs and luxury condos.

Summary

Churches across the U.S. are grappling with dwindling attendance and financial instability, forcing many to close or sell properties.

The Diocese of Buffalo has shut down 100 parishes since the 2000s and plans to close 70 more. Nationwide, church membership has dropped from 80% in the 1940s to 45% today.

Some churches repurpose their land to survive, like Atlanta’s First United Methodist Church, which is building affordable housing.

Others, like Calcium Church in New York, make cutbacks to stay open. Leaders warn of the long-term risks of declining community and support for churches.

  • @CharlesDarwinEnglish
    2•2 days ago

    I agree with all of that. It is fairly obvious to me that a lot of qons just generally hate humans that are not their immediate family (and in some cases, they hate even them). See how they treat the notion of ANY public spaces, unless they are of the xtian kind. I mean, the notion of making benches impossible to sleep on, so that the homeless have nowhere to go. The way they treat libraries. And public schools.

    I think some of this hatred of public services/goods even underlies some of their hatred of USPS, since it is something that benefits nearly everyone.

    One one level, I kind of understand how some uppercrust qon douches like Elon might have an aversion to public goods because they have accrued such obscene wealth that they don’t need them. But when the person that is barely scraping by, but glued to Faux and waving their silly donvict flags? I just don’t understand how these people are dragged into the same mindset. I get that a few whites/men get annoyed at seeing anyone else benefit from government services in any way whatsoever, so I guess that is at least part of it.