Summary
Churches across the U.S. are grappling with dwindling attendance and financial instability, forcing many to close or sell properties.
The Diocese of Buffalo has shut down 100 parishes since the 2000s and plans to close 70 more. Nationwide, church membership has dropped from 80% in the 1940s to 45% today.
Some churches repurpose their land to survive, like Atlanta’s First United Methodist Church, which is building affordable housing.
Others, like Calcium Church in New York, make cutbacks to stay open. Leaders warn of the long-term risks of declining community and support for churches.
Libraries are quiet spaces, I have no clue what you’re talking about.
My library has board game rentals, multiple meeting rooms, and maker spaces with 3d printers, sewing machines, and other equipment along with the traditional rooms of books for different ages and interests. You can have social spaces within a library, it doesn’t all have to be silent.
Sure, and I mean, I’m not suggesting you just roll up at random with a trunk full of board games and set up shop. You talk to the library staff, arrange a time when they’re okay with you using the space and being a little louder, and advertise that time. It feels like you’re being argumentative just for the sake of being argumentative; in towns and cities with actual, functional communities, this is a normal thing. Heck, I grew up in a town with 1700 people in it; we had scheduled special events in the library and it was never a problem, so this isn’t just exclusive to big cities.