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Historic 182-year-old Alabama church closes doors for good

The historic Five Mile Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama, has finally closed its doors after 182 years of service due to a dwindling attendance and an aging congregation.

Dwindling attendance by an increasingly elderly congregation at a historic Alabama church has prompted the difficult decision to close its doors for good, with the final worship service held this Sunday after 182 years.

"There is a certain sadness," said Sharon Eich, lay pastor of Five Mile Presbyterian Church in Birmingham. She said the congregation "has been such a beacon to the community for so long," al.com reported Friday.

There were about 40 church members when Eich became lay pastor in 2002. Now it's down to about nine.

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"Most of the congregation is in their 80s," she said. "It’s just time."

The white clapboard church, complete with a bell tower, was built in 1880. However, Eich said it holds just 30 people and lacks modern amenities such as air-conditioning or bathrooms.

When the congregation was founded in 1841 — 30 years before the city of Birmingham — it was in a rural area. Birmingham has since expanded, bringing the church within city limits.

Before Sunday's final service, there will be a historical presentation by University of Georgia Professor John Knox, son of the late Rev. Harold Knox who led the congregation from 1963-1999.

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The church and an adjoining Civil War-era cemetery will be placed in a trust. A 1958 brick sanctuary and fellowship hall will be owned by a Presbyterian administrative unit, and will likely be sold to another congregation.

"It’s such a wonderful, loving congregation," Eich said, "that has been a blessing in my life."

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