'Go out with dignity': 133-year-old First Presbyterian Church of Titusville to shut its doors

Long before anyone dreamed up the idea of a "megachurch,"Joan Threlkeld learned to love and praise the Lord in a small but mighty Presbyterian congregation in North Brevard.

First Presbyterian Church of Titusville, founded at its first location in 1887, was a comforting constant in her life. Threlkeld, now 94, saw her mom and aunt sing in the choir and listened to music swelling from North Brevard's only pipe organ. She grew up attending Sunday school and Christmas parties in a small-town-church atmosphere. Later, she and her husband, John, a Titusville police officer, tithed regularly. Made friends and watched church families grow, sharing joys, sorrows and support along the way.

But though they'll always be a family by heart, the tight-knit group remaining at First Presbyterian is saying goodbye at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26. That's when the congregation, down to around 40 regulars, will give thanks together for the last time inside a building whose iconic shape and steeple seem to soar above the tree-lined neighborhood.

The decision to close the church, 1235 S. Park Ave., did not come easily, but it felt right, said the Rev. Laura Viau, interim pastor.

"We were looking at the trends; some of the options for churches that find themselves at this crossroads," Viau said.

More from Britt Kennerly:Grandma has answers for grandparents raising grandkids

Video:REAL Church of Brevard donates 200 Christmas meal baskets

"Then we looked at: Or we could just stop. We could choose an end date and say, 'We're going to go out with dignity, and we're going to make sure that we have a chance to honor all that has brought us to this point and all the people who bore witness to Christ in this community through this congregation.' Honor that and say goodbye in a way that is meaningful and hopeful, as opposed to getting sadder and sadder as we get smaller and smaller."

So, the decision was made to "dissolve," or close. The building will be assessed and the Central Florida Presbytery will sell it. Hopefully, Viau said, a faith community will be the buyer.

Many factors have led to the church's last days, said the woman known as "Pastor Laura."

There's the aging, dwindling congregation in a church that seats more than 400. The cost of upkeep, especially after Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne did major structural damage in 2004, to the tune of about $100,000 — that damage was "kind of a tipping point," Viau said, even with insurance coverage.

Then there's the decline in regular churchgoing, period, among all generations: Both Protestantism and Catholicism are experiencing losses of population share, according to Pew Research Center. Currently, 43% of U.S. adults identify with Protestantism, down from 51% in 2009, Pew found in 2019, and 1 in 5 adults (20%) are Catholic, down from 23% in 2009. And "all subsets of the religiously unaffiliated population" — known as religious “nones” — have seen their numbers swell, Pew said.

Jungle Adventures:There's so much more to this place beyond the fake gator

Many churches in the United States, Viau said, face questions about closure, especially those with older physical buildings on top of aging congregations. Often, such congregations are "one roof repair or one giant air-conditioner repair" away from financial troubles, she said.

"This beautiful building has such a unique design that it's hard to get good repair," she said. "The roof never fully recovered ... There have been leaks and patches and stuff going on — it required taking on some loans, another debt burden."

While numbers vary on how many churches close and open yearly, a study published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion in 2015 estimated that 3,700 American churches close their doors every year. Christianity Today reported in 2017 that an estimated 30,000 congregations shut their doors in the United States between 2006 and 2012.

And while this Titusville congregation is generous, it simply can't sustain without growth that isn't happening, Viau said.

"They've done what they can to support the church," she said. "But it just reminds me so much of what most families in the United States are going through ... one financial disaster away from disaster. Three bad months and we're homeless. That's kind of the way we are at this point in this country."

So, last year, church leadership and a commission from the Central Florida Presbytery came together to discuss options for First Presbyterian's future.

Photos:Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church celebrates 60th anniversary

Photos:Melbourne Korean Festival at Northside Presbyterian Church

Viau called the decision "maybe the most courageous decision I've seen leaders make in a long time."

As an interim pastor who helps churches in transition, she sees parallels with her former work as a hospice chaplain.

"You see folks who decide they're going to fight whatever they're diagnosed with until the bitter end. And you see them become just a shell of themselves. And that last part of their lives can be miserable," said Viau, whose next ministry stop will be at a North Carolina church.

"Or someone says, 'I would like to do what I can to be the most comfortable that I can and soak up whatever the best of life is until that time.' And they choose hospice, and it becomes a totally different experience. And they are able to die with dignity in a way that that often being stretched out medically doesn't allow for."

That decision allowed church members to be "very intentional about what conversations need to be had," she said, "so the grief that comes after is a little healthier."

"We're able to think hopefully about what is the next chapter for each person, and how does the legacy of this congregation live on," Viau said. "Part of that is having healthy people who are ready to go and bless other congregations with their presence and energy and gifts and resources."

Decisions are being made about what will happen to the treasures inside the church, from books and paintings to the massive pipe organ. 

"Part of the hope of living on is blessing other congregations and organizations with things that they might not be able to afford," Viau said.

In the meantime, this family remembers — and celebrates. 

"Believing in the Lord, reading the Bible every day, doing what it says in the Bible to do ... I think a lot of people in our church did that," Threlkeld said.

Melina Rowe, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, moved to Brevard County 17 years ago. At 50, she's one of the church's "young people," and a member of the active handbell choir led by Pam Boyd.

A Jan. 16 show-and-tell-style dinner was fascinating, she said, offering glimpses into just how invested in their church the longtime members have become.

"It's one thing when you read something, but hearing some of their stories, hearing the history described by people who were there ... I'm sad I didn't join a lot sooner," Rowe said. "In Trinidad and Tobago, the Presbyterian Church is still thriving, because they have the youth as well, from schools associated with the church. But with a lot of people 60 and older, and the mortgage ... it's very hard."

Some things can't be boxed or sold. Faith, fellowship: They're priceless.

For Threlkeld, the walls of the church — in all its incarnations — sheltered those whose spiritual guidance helped shape her belief in God. Titusville's population in 1930, when she was still a child, was 2,089. 

"The preachers, all along the way ... the grownups were always so kind," she said. "It was part of our life." 

Reading the history of First Presbyterian is like a detailed peek into North Brevard's past. Church members compiled and shared a meticulously detailed account in 1987, for the church's 100th anniversary. Turns out the church was born on a steamboat.

"In 1886, Titusville was a town with several saloons but not much in the way of churches," it stated. 

"A concerned steamboat captain named Paddison set up a plate aboard his vessel and asked for contributions to build a place of worship. Response was swift, and in less than six months, the First Presbyterian Church was formed in Titusville. Reverend John Foy was the inaugural pastor. The first Sabbath services were held on January 2, 1887 in the parlor of the Titus Hotel."

The population of the town then? "About 400 souls, the church membership was 26."

The first church, small and wooden with seating for up to 130 people, "was constructed at the corner of Pine Street and Hopkins Avenue in the spring of 1887," the history shared. "Repairs were made to the building in 1922 and it was moved to the west side of the lot. By 1925, the membership roll had grown to 100 names. In 1948, the church was again remodeled. A fellowship hall and Sunday school building (with a basement) were added."

After living briefly in Pennsylvania with relatives because of the economic impact of the Great Depression, Joan Threlkeld's family returned to their Titusville home, and rejoined the First Presbyterian congregation. By age 12, Threlkeld was teaching Sunday school and was a part of a young people's group called "Christian Endeavor." After marrying her husband, John, when she was 20, they continued to attend the church.

Threlkeld remembers the transformation that came with the excitement and community growth of the Apollo years.

By 1963, with a congregation of more than 400, the church was hosting two services on Sundays. A drive to build a new church led to the present-day building at Park Avenue and Golfview Drive, with room for more than 400 people. It was dedicated on March 12, 1967. 

Then, in 2004, the triple-hurricane whammy. Despite the structural damage, its mission never faltered. Services were never canceled, church historians say. Instead, services were held downstairs in the Fellowship Hall while repairs were made.

The music Threlkeld loved as a child continues to flow all these years later.

"We have a music program that's incredible," Viau said. "By the time a church is like we are, regularly at about 40 to 45 worshipers, you might have a choir of five people. We'll have 15, 18, sometimes 20 people. They're incredibly faithful and talented ... that's a real gift."

On the church's last day, Viau will lead two services: one at 10 a.m. and then the farewell at 3 p.m., followed by a reception. The public is invited to attend that final service.

A triathlete, during a recent run Viau thought about what she'd be saying to church members and guests on that bittersweet day.

The first service, she said, will be a sort of "Easter in January." 

"I was thinking about the power of the Resurrection in us, even when we don't see resurrection around us," she said. "Going back to Paul's letter to the Romans, he reminds us that nothing — neither death nor life, not angels nor demons — separates from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus."

And for the final service, Viau will lean on Ecclesiastes, and the much-loved passages about there being a time for everything. 

Part of the focus, she said, will be on the Great Commission, "going from this place to be and make disciples." 

"It is never not the time to rejoice. Never not time to cry," Viau said.

"Never not time to time to go and do the things we church people have been commanded to go and do."

Contact Kennerly at 321-242-3692 or bkennerly@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @bybrittkennerly Facebook: /bybrittkennerly