This is the second segment of a three-part series covering the history and impending closure of St John's Episcopal Church.

If there is one thing the Reverend Mark Moore wants people to know about St John's Episcopal Church, it's this: the small parish in Sandy Hook is not alone in facing closure.

The church will continue its regular worship services through Sunday, September 4. Three nights later, a formal closing Eucharist will take place within the stone church at 5 Washington Avenue. And then history will close its chapter on the Episcopal church within Sandy Hook.

The Episcopal Church of Connecticut (ECCT) informed the St John's vestry earlier this year of its decision to shutter one of Newtown's two Episcopal churches.

Thousands of churches are closing across the country, Rev Moore said last weekend. Gathered around a table in the church hall, the six members of St John's who had just finished their Sunday worship service on August 14 sat down to talk about their church. The Rev Moore pointed out that the country is in a midst of what he called "a historic collapse."

"More than 4,000 churches are closing annually," he said. "That's regardless of denomination. In addition, 80 percent of the churches across this country have 100 members or less. Many, many small churches are closing. It's not just St John's."

The vestry of St John's, according to Warden Bruce Moulthrop, was told by ECCT in April that "in the next three to five years, one-third of all Episcopal churches in this country will be closed. Again, it's just not St John's."

While they may not be alone, the small group of parishioners who gather at St John's are not cheered by that fact.

For Newtown residents, the closing of St John's Episcopal Church will mean one less option for religious learnings, teachings, camaraderie, and solid footing after September 7. In addition to a history of 150 years of religious services, decades of Shrove Tuesday Pancake Suppers, years of Donut Drive-Thru events, Christmas bazaars and pageants, summer fairs, and generations of families who celebrated births, baptisms, weddings, funerals, and every stage of life, will all become past history with no future.

"This just doesn't work everywhere right now," Rev Moore continued. "There have been some fairly decent-size churches that are all but dead, but also smaller ones with life and vitality."

Parishioners who were joining Rev Moore for Sunday's discussion agreed.

"While this church family was larger when I joined it," said JoAnn Hornak, "it was small compared to others, but it was a perfect fit. I loved the energy here, I loved the worship, and I loved the outreach the church did."

Peter Ruscoe, who has been attending St John's for about six years, has been happy with the relatively small church family.

"I liked the stone church," he said, "and I have loved the small community feeling here."

Fundraising And Fun

In addition to finding faith, St John's has served as a social hub for generations of families. Members have often worked together on fundraising and public events. There have been harvest bazaars, Christmas bazaars, and Christmas pageants, among other offerings.

For a few years during the early 2000s, the church offered Donut Drive-Thrus. For a few hours on occasional Saturday mornings during the summer, parishioners would cook up buttermilk doughnuts - served plain or rolled in cinnamon-sugar or confectioner's sugar - and sell them.

The first few events offered drive-thru service. People would pull into the driveway off Washington Avenue, stop alongside the church, and stay in their vehicles. Parishioners were right there, taking orders and money, and handing over donuts and fresh brewed coffee in return.

The Donut Drive-Thru events were a little too popular.

"We had to stop doing the drive-thru part," said Cheryl Moulthrop, a lifelong member of the church and the wife of Warden Bruce Moulthrop. "We would have so many people lined up for the donuts, that traffic would be jammed on Washington Avenue."

After that, guests were asked to park and visit a tent set up on the church's front lawn to order and then take home their donuts. And even then, the events were so popular, most sold out well before the planned closing time.

During the 1960s, the church used the grounds of a former Italian center located along Berkshire Road, in the area now covered by Lone Oak Meadows and Skidmore Lane.

"We would have a big fair with games - not necessarily rides, but lots of games - and a dunk tank, and a BBQ, and it was extremely popular," Mrs Moulthrop said. "It was a nice family country church fair done in the summertime."

She remembers the Reverend Rick Losch, who was the church's pastor from 1961 until 1966, being a very active participant in that annual event.

"I remember Reverend Losch sitting on the dunk tank and letting people dunk him," she said. "He drew a lot of families" during his tenure, she said.

St John's was also the launching point for the Sandy Hook Organic Farmers Market. Longtime parishioner Mary Fellows Conk served as market master from the opening season in 2003 through the end of the 2015 season, by which time the market had relocated to Fairfield Hills.

Mr Moulthrop - who was the donut cook, and for years the lead chef during the church's Shrove Tuesday Pancake Suppers (before sharing that work with one of his nieces, Erica Knapp, in recent years), and a former chicken/BBQ chef during the country fairs, as well as an active participant in the early farmers markets - admitted that one of the things he will miss most after September 7 will be cooking for the church events.

"I'm going to miss the pancake supper," he said of the event that would have celebrated its 65th anniversary in 2017.

"It's always been a lot of relatives working at these events," Mrs Moulthrop said last week. Familiar Newtown family names filled the pages of the scrapbooks: surnames including Beers, Knapp, Kuhne, Schoonmaker, Sturges, and Tilson.

"We always enjoyed the fundraising and all the different things we've done as a group," said Mrs Moulthrop. "We've tried everything humanly possible to keep the church active."

Flipping through a scrapbook overflowing with photos, church newsletters, and dozens of newspaper clippings, Mrs Moulthrop smiled at the memories.

"The church used to be so busy, and active, and viable," she said. "When I was a child, the church always had a big Sunday School program."

JoAnn Hornak remembers the former religious education program. She joined St John's Episcopal during autumn 1987, when her family moved into Newtown. The Reverend Joan Horwitt was serving as the church's pastor at that time.

"At one time we had three Sunday School teachers," Ms Hornak said Sunday afternoon. She had just served as deacon during the morning's worship service.

"I also think when I first joined, we even had a choir, didn't we?" she asked those sitting around a table with her.

"We had a good-size choir," Mr Moulthrop responded.

The church's services are currently presented by the Reverend Moore and a deacon. Music is provided by organist Karen Springer, and St John's Music Ensemble: Carl Dalzell on recorder, wife Cecilia Dalzell on guitar and vocals, and Peter Ruscoe on guitar.

Ms Hornak is grateful, she said, that there has been a little bit of time to reflect on the impending closure.

"I've been reflecting a lot on St John's, and I'm glad we've had time to do this together," she said.

The church's membership has fluctuated over the years. One of the biggest challenges in recent years has not only been maintaining members, but appealing to potential new ones.

"There aren't any new, younger people who are coming in and joining us," Mrs Moulthrop said. "That is a huge challenge, especially when so many members are aging out, or dying."

This was not the first time ECCT started talking about closing St John's. Rev Moore pointed out that similar discussions were held shortly after his arrival in Sandy Hook in September 2008.

"Eight years ago, when I first arrived here, there was talk about of a possible closure," he said. "But the members put together a magnificent PowerPoint presentation for the diocese. There were so wowed, they allowed us to stay open.

"So we have had eight years here we wouldn't have otherwise had" if parishioners had not put up a good argument, he said.

"The plan definitely worked," Carl Dalzell said, drawing laughter from the others.

Bruce Moulthrop pulled notes from one of his files on Sunday. Dating to April 1998, the notes showed members of the church had been told then that they were facing the possibility of closure.

"The church was challenged to pledge more, and members were down," he said. "We were threatened with closure then, too."

Many Affected

The closing of the church will affect more than those who worship there. The neighboring Masonic Lodge that shares the parking lot and water system with the church will have to make some important decisions once the property changes hands, a longstanding food pantry is in the midst of relocating, and support groups that had been meeting at St John's for years have had to find new homes.

"This really affects so many people, multiple groups," Mr Moulthrop said August 12, sitting down at his home to discuss the church's impending closure.

"The lodge will have use of the well until a new owner takes over," he said. "But a grandfathered clause that allows them to share the system with the church will cease. The lodge is going to have to hook into the town water then."

FAITH Food Pantry, which has since 1983 provided food, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and even pet supplies to residents, regardless of their faith (or lack of), has been forced to find a new home. The food pantry was the brainstorm of former St John's Pastor Joan Horwitt.

AA and Al-Anon groups, among others, have also moved to different locations for meetings. Vendors who had been using the church's kitchen on occasion moved out by the end of June.

"This has impacted so many people in so many ways," Mrs Moulthrop said.

The future of the church building and the land that goes with it remains unclear. The diocese, according to the Moulthrops, has yet to sell the church or property. While FAITH Food Pantry and others have already moved out, the church's accoutrements remain intact for the time being.

Rev Moore and his parishioners are proud of their place within the community.

"We are part of the town," he said. "We are worshiping every Sunday."

St John's Episcopal Church, 5 Washington Avenue in Sandy Hook, offers weekly worship services on Sundays at 9:30 am. Its closing Eucharist is scheduled for 7 pm, Wednesday, September 7.