STRUTHERS — Max Crawford reflected on when he and his wife, Janice, moved to the city in the 1950s from Pennsylvania because he had found work at the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co.

Little did he know that a small routine walk down the street would result in a 65-year commitment.

“We lived in an apartment on Sexton Street, and the first Sunday in our apartment, we walked to the church and we’ve been here ever since,” Crawford, 86, remembered about his introduction in 1958 to Struthers United Methodist Church.

On the other side of the bookend of his long association with the place of worship, Crawford found himself feeling maudlin and pensive, yet tempering those emotions with a bit of practicality.

“It’s very hard to leave this building, but as Pastor Doug (Theobald) said, ‘It’s just a building,'” Crawford said.

He was among the nearly 100 parishioners who attended the final worship service Sunday, the day the church closed by order of the United Methodist Eastern Ohio Conference, which has deconsecrated the church and taken control of the building and property.

Crawford also reflected on his many church duties that included maintenance work such as plumbing and electrical as well as heating, ventilation, air conditioning and cooling — skills he learned and used regularly while at Youngstown Sheet & Tube. He also served about 30 years as the board of trustees’ chairman and expressed pride that three of his eight grandchildren had participated in a youth Scripture reading program.

“I was born in this church. … I was as happy as I ever could be,” Beverly Raybuck, a 91-year member, said after Sunday’s 90-minute service.

For her part, Raybuck, along with her four children, was baptized at Struthers United Methodist. In addition, she was married there in 1952.

She also taught Sunday school, chaired the worship committee and spent many decades as church historian. Despite her lifetime affiliation with the beloved worship site, Raybuck also expressed optimism about the congregation moving forward in a spirit of unity.

“It’s like you’re losing something, but you’re gaining something,” the longtime member said, adding that she has confidence the congregation will stay together.

To that end, parishioners are using Christ Lutheran Church, 250 Sexton St., as their temporary place of worship at a separate time from its regular members. Christ Lutheran also is where the congregation held its first service Wednesday evening.

“We just found out a few weeks ago about the closing and offered them our space to worship,” Janet Kramer, Christ Lutheran’s office manager, said.

In his sermon, titled “Dry Bones,” the Rev. Doug Theobald, who has pastored Struthers United Methodist since 2009, used a passage from the Book of Ezekiel as a metaphor for how God’s ability to breathe new life into a collection of lifeless bones scattered throughout the desert also can provide renewal for congregants as they deal with their loss and try to regroup and move forward.

“We can raise dead bones from the desert and bring them to life,” Theobald said, adding, “The light is not extinguished.”

Theobald, a 30-year firefighter who also is the Liberty Township fire chief, encouraged attendees on Sunday to refrain from thinking of the church’s closing as an end. Even though many people are faced with challenging times, nothing is impossible with God’s help, he continued.

Fighting back tears at times, Theobald also expressed his own sadness as he told his flock that the church has been a place where they have felt much love, peace, uplift, encouragement and compassion, along with a sense of power and feeling of family.

“We will celebrate this day and all of the people here,” he added. “We will live on.”

During the solemn service, several people in the pews stood to offer their memories, recollections and anecdotes about their church experiences. Among those who made remarks was the retired Rev. Coralee Cox, who recalled her parents having been married within its walls.

“So many memories for all of us,” said Cox, who, along with her brother, was baptized in the church.

“Every beautiful memory is treasured by God,” the Rev. Suzanne Hill, who pastored at Struthers United Methodist Church, added.