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COTTAGE
GROVE, Minn. (Gray News) - Cottage Grove, Minn. (Gray News) – In an
effort to reach younger families, the Grove United Methodist Church is telling
the old folks to get out.
The struggling church
wants to build a new congregation with a more youthful bent.
“I pray for this
church, getting through this age-discrimination thing,” William Gackstetter,
one of those no longer in the target demographic, told the St. Paul Pioneer
Press.
The plan is to shut
down the church in June and reopen a rebranded version, probably in November.
A church memo
recommends older members stay away for a couple of years and then consult with
the pastor if they’d like to rejoin. Most members of the congregation are over
60 years old.
“This is totally
wrong,” Gackstetter’s wife, Cheryl, told the newspaper. “They are
discriminating against us because of our age.”
The church averages
about 25 people in worship each week.
There’s no full-time
pastor. A member of the church delivers the sermon.
Regional United
Methodist congregations are paying $250,000 to fund the restart.
A specialist in
starting new churches has been hired.
https://www.nbc15.com/content/news/Struggling-Minnesota-church-asks-older-members-to-go-away-567141051.html