This is the first of a three-part series about St John's Church in Sandy Hook. The next two offerings will look back through the church's history.

Sandy Hook Baptist Church quietly closed its doors earlier this year, just two years after members had founded it.

For another group of worshipers, the closing of their doors will leave another hole in the religious fabric of Newtown's community. The members of St John's Episcopal Church, housed in the stone church with the familiar red door at 5 Washington Avenue since the third quarter of the 19th Century, have made the difficult decision to close their doors after nearly 150 years of services.

Bishop Laura J. Ahrens, who serves as the bishop suffragen of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut (ECCT), of which St John's is a member, commended the parish recently.

"They have faithfully served Sandy Hook and Newtown for so many years," she said. "Reverend Mark Moore has done a wonderful job offering leadership to that community."

Rev Moore has been the pastor for St John's since September 2008. Nevertheless, the decision to close the church was made, "prayerfully," Bishop Ahrens added.

Cheryl Moulthrop, a Sandy Hook native who has grown up in St John's, is quick to point out that the church has not yet closed.

"We still have our Sunday service at 9:30," Mrs Moulthrop said. "That's happening right through the end of August."

A formal closing Eucharist has been scheduled for the evening of Wednesday, September 7. Bishop Ahrens will preside at that service.

"They're beautiful services," she said. "We allow members to stand up and share memories. The closing Eucharist will be the final time Eucharist is celebrated in that beautiful building. The beautiful ceremony will put holy closure on that chapter."

St John's Episcopal Church was established in 1868. Its first building was built in 1869, "for the purpose of providing a nearby place for Sandy Hook Episcopalians to worship," according to a history written for an ecumenical service done as part of Newtown's tercentennial celebrations in 2005. St John's became its own parish in 1880.

The original church building - which Mrs Moulthrop describes as having been wooden, "a more Victorian-looking structure," according to photos she has seen - was destroyed by fire in 1929. The current masonry-fronted structure was constructed in just over a year. Parishioners were able to gather again by 1931, according to a cornerstone on the northeastern corner of the building.

Worship services - and for many years Shrove Tuesday Pancake Suppers, Donut Drive-Thru events, Blessing of the Animals services, and even the first seven years of the Sandy Hook Organic Farmers Market (which has evolved into the current Farmers Market at Fairfield Hills) - were all hosted by the church.

While the parish of St John's has always been relatively small, Mrs Moulthrop said it was not uncommon during the 1960s to see dozens of families attending worship services.

"In the 60s, when I was a child, it was big," she said. "Trinity was big too, but that was also when life centered around the church. Things have shifted. There was no such thing as Sunday sports."

"There would be 60 or more people there at regular services," she said. "There would be parents, children, and babies just filling the pews."

St John's, she believes, has a seating capacity of about 125 people.

"At Christmas and Easter, of course, it would be packed out the door," said Mrs Moulthrop. She can recall the church having an active men's club, an afternoon ladies' guild, and an evening ladies' guild, among other dynamic groups.

"We also used to have celebrations at the former Italian center that used to be on Berkshire Road. Those were huge," she said.

The second Episcopal church to form in Newtown (Trinity Episcopal, on Main Street in Newtown, was founded in late 1732), St John's has always been a small parish rooted in traditions and history.

Unfortunately, the key word in the previous sentence seems to be "small." The parish has always been one of Newtown's smallest.

The church's membership, and activity level, has been dwindling in recent years. The church stopped offering Sunday School about 15 years ago.

"The parish is really getting older," said Mrs Moulthrop. "There are only about five families that are really actively involved every month. We really right now have only one high school student and one college student who are part of the active families.

"We have a few people who come sometimes, and some family members who come around the holidays, but they're not always involved in activities," she said.

The closing also came down to finances, Mrs Moulthrop said.

"Unfortunately, the writing has been on the wall for a while," she said. "When I took over as treasurer, I came up with what I thought was a sensible number that we could meet. For the past ten years we paid what we thought we would pay, but it wasn't what the diocese was looking for."

Support groups that had been meeting at the church have relocated. The final group that was meeting at the Washington Avenue church, Narcotics Anonymous, has been able to relocate to Newtown Congregational Church for its Sunday evening sessions.

FAITH Food Pantry, which was founded in 1983 and based in the church's undercroft since its inception,

"The biggest mission we've always had has been the FAITH Food Pantry. That's one of the reasons Bruce and I have fought for so long to keep the church open: we've wanted to keep the food pantry open," said Mrs Maoulthrop.

Until it finds a new home, FAITH continues to share its stock with residents of Newtown on Tuesday mornings, from 10 am until noon, and Thursday evenings, between 6 and 7:30.

This is the first of a three-part series about St John's Church in Sandy Hook. The next two offerings will look back through the church's history.