If the walls of Historic Salem United Church of Christ could talk, what would they say? Would they recall when the first German-speaking people gathered in the building for worship in 1803? Would they remember when the cornerstone of the present building at 324 Walnut St. was laid in 1860? Or would they celebrate the day the first woman was elected to the church council in 1949?

As Columbia's oldest church, Salem UCC has impacted generations of people who came together to celebrate their Christian faith in an open and affirming space. But all good things must come to an end, and on May 24, the church - affectionately known as "Olde Salem" - held its last service.

"This church has meant so much to this community over the years," said pastor Mark Harris. "I have no doubt that there will be an empty space in the community now."

The decision to close was not made lightly, said Robert "Scott" Bollinger, who serves on the church council. The Keystone Conference UCC began suggesting closure even before Harris was hired almost a decade ago.

The conference was concerned about the turnover of ministers and the dwindling membership, but the congregation was determined to stay the course. The members provided materials showing the church's activity in the community and completed a program organized by the conference to strengthen the church.

"We tried a lot of different things, but COVID was really the beginning of the end for us," Bollinger said. "About two years ago, I came to council and said, 'We've got to put an end date on this.' We were determined to get pastor Mark ordained so he could look for another job."

Harris was ordained in early May and is in the process of determining his next steps with his family, looking for positions as far away as North Carolina and Vermont.

Hilary Smith, who serves as the council treasurer, emphasized that closing the church had nothing to do with financial concerns.

"We've been good stewards of our money," she said. "We have really generous members, and since I've been treasurer, over 12 years, we've never had to take out a loan."

But dwindling membership hurt, and an aging congregation didn't see much of a future for the church.

"Since I've been here, most of the same people have been on the church council and have done the bulk of the day-to-day work of the church, which gets wearing after nine years," Harris said. "Generally, you serve for two or three years, and then someone else takes over and you get a break. Nobody here has gotten a break in quite a long time."

With under 100 members on the books and only a dozen or so who actively attend, Salem had become too small to survive. The church is in talks with merging its congregation with Trinity Reformed UCC in Mountville, which happens to be a church plant from Salem UCC.

Keystone Conference will sell the building after the members clean out what they're keeping, which could take months.

Choosing to hold its last service on Pentecost - the "birthday" of the church - was intentional, said council member Karen James, who added, "It's a season of new beginnings."

The church members wanted to go out on their own terms, taking an active role in how the church wraps up centuries of service.

Smith grew up in the church alongside her sister, Julie Bigler, who also serves on the council.

"I never felt like I didn't belong here," Smith said. "I did visit some other churches when my girls were younger, but I came back. When you're a lifelong member of a church, it's difficult to go somewhere else."

Julie recalled that some of her favorite memories at Salem include Advent Family Nights, when the members would decorate the church and sing Christmas carols.

"I always felt like this church was my home away from home," she said. "I was thankful to my parents for raising me up in a church."

That's a feeling echoed by James, who adds, "This church is just something else. I've been to other churches that didn't have quite the same feel. This church is home."

Member Peggy Rupp, who has attended for 67 years, recalled relying on her church family when she faced personal trials.

"The people of Salem were here for me," she said.

Over the years, the church has hosted numerous community groups, including Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, Narcotics Anonymous and Homes of Hope. Before the Columbia Dream Center opened, Salem served as a winter shelter with other local churches.

It once had a very active Sunday school for people of all ages, held a holiday bazaar for more than 30 years and organized ice cream socials and potpie dinners.

Now those events will be memories, Bollinger said.

"I look at the people here, and I've known these people for a long, long time," he said. "It's going to be very hard to say goodbye."

Serving at Salem became Harris' first job since finishing seminary, and he credits the experience with teaching him about servant leadership and community.

"What I hope people remember about Salem is how long it's survived past people's expectations, and how much of an impact it's made on the time that it's been here," he said. "This church has been deeply meaningful for the people of Columbia."