Dwindling numbers: An aging church congregation ponders its fate

STORY AND PHOTOS BY ABIGAIL SHOYAT | LINK nky CONTRIBUTOR

“I hope we’re not a dying congregation, but if something doesn’t happen, we will be.”

Dick Monson, 74, has been a member of Runyan Memorial Christian Church for nearly 71 years. He and his wife, Amy, wed there 46 years ago. In the mid-70s, he became a board member, and he currently serves as the church health leader and elder.

“Runyan is the only church I’ve known,” Monson said. “I spent 19 months in the Philippines in the Navy, and I couldn’t wait to get back to be there again.”

Monson said his memories of the church’s early days remain vivid.

“Back then the church wasn’t air conditioned, so after church everyone would go out on the front sidewalk and talk. I can remember exactly where I was standing that day, that first Sunday back at church. And I can remember who I was talking to and what I was wearing that day. That was something I missed for 19 months, and I was glad to be back there.”

For many of its members, Runyan has been a second family.

“The people up at church, I’ve known them practically all my life,” said Elder Sue Ann Kues. “They really took me in … treated me like one of their family.”

Kues said she attended Runyan when she lost her mother, and the community helped her through her grief.

“When my mother died, which was 2004, [the McClanahan family] invited me over to sit with them. Then they invited me to eat lunch after church. Now we’ve been doing that for 18 years. I enjoy that, it gets me out a bit,” Kues said.

Now 89, Kues has been a member of Runyan for 72 years and served as the Sunday school secretary for 40.

“We used to have a lot of kids join on Easter, and we don’t have that anymore,” Kues said. “We don’t even have a Sunday school. It’s a real shame.”

The third-floor rooms that were dedicated to teaching children have sat unused for close to a decade.

“I know we don’t have a lot of things, but I still like it. I just like our little church,” Kues said. “I’m the oldest [member] that comes, but I don’t know how much longer I’m going to drive.”

Numbers are dwindling as current members age.

“They’re all dying off, and we don’t get any new ones,” Kues said.

According to Elder Betty Kidd, the congre- gation has lost four members in the last year – losses that have been felt even more deeply in a population of fewer than 50.

“Churches are just in decline,” said Elder Dawn Baldwin. “At one time, Covington had a church on almost every street corner. Covington was a city of churches. It’s sad that they’re all gone.”

Within the last 20 years, a handful of Covington churches including Grace United Church of Christ have closed and been repurposed as event venues. Runyon members worry their church could meet a similar fate if numbers continued to decline.

“When the churches close, people want to buy the land,” Baldwin said. “It’s sad what happens to these little churches when they go, especially if they have a graveyard connected to them. The graveyards go into disrepair. No one takes care of them. Things are being built over people’s graves.”

Baldwin’s great-great grandmother was buried at the Buena Vista Cemetery before the land was bought up and graves were relocated.

“But there’s about 110 of these graves that they never moved, and the Boys and Girls Club was built on top of them,” Baldwin said.

Today, you can see the headstones for these graves piled within a chain link enclosure on the property.

In spite of this trend and however small, Runyan still works to serve its community the best it can.

“Service, I think that’s something we’re called to do,” Monson said. “We’ve been serving meals on Thanksgiving day for at least 38 years. I don’t think we’ve ever missed a year doing that. It’s really a part of our Thanksgiving.”

The church also hosts Thursday night bingo that is open to members of the community. Many seniors from the Colony in Latonia participate in the fun and share a meal.

“For $3, they get a good meal, they get to play bingo and the social aspect is important for those people too,” Monson said “I remember [my mother] coming here. Her eyes weren’t good, and she couldn’t even see the cards, but she enjoyed the fellowship.”

Runyan also supports local ministries such as Matthew 25, Habitat for Humanity and Action Ministries.

“I want to go somewhere I feel needed and important, somewhere that needs my offering,” Monson said. “I might be wrong, but I don’t think that some of these mega churches need me. They’ve got plenty of money, plenty of people, plenty of talent. I’m comfortable in a small church. If Runyan would close, I would probably go to another small church … For as long as they’re around.”