Goodyear Heights United Methodist Church will hold its final services on Sunday after almost a century of operation in Akron.
The congregation, which gathers in a Tudor-inspired church at 1690 Hillside Terrace, will be absorbed into Wedgewood United Methodist Church, about 2½ miles northwest. The final service at the Hillside location will be at 10 a.m. Sunday.
The Rev. Sam Martin, who’s served in ministry since 2005, said the church’s aging congregation voted to move because it had struggled in recent years to grow. As members died, the church failed to gain new members — so building maintenance became unmanageable.
“It’s been a very emotional year,” Martin said.
The church formed in 1919 and built its first location in 1920. It moved to its current building in 1945 and added an educational wing in the 1960s that ceased operations decades ago. Martin said former students still called every year to put their children in the school, only to learn it had closed.
In 2013, the church began allowing another congregation — Abundant Faith Ministries — to use space. Abundant Faith, a newer church with a primarily black membership, and Goodyear Heights United Methodist, a mostly white church, began holding services together on occasion in an effort to unite the two congregations.
Abundant Faith will continue to hold services at the Hillside location. Another church is set to take ownership of the location and has agreed to let Abundant Faith stay, Martin said.
As for Martin, he said he’ll move into retirement.
“I want to continue in ministry,” he said. “I just know God’s going to take care of me.”
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ and on Facebook @JournoNickGlunt .