The Final Service

A  church in decline tries to reinvent itself, and its young members struggle with how to talk about Christianity. The Final Service is written and produced by Mateo Schimpf [https://www.mateoschimpf.com/] with additional writing and reporting from Ray Suarez [https://x.com/RaySuarezNews]. It's edited by Jarrod Sport with production support from Elize Manoukian. It's made possible with generous support by the Henry Luce Foundation [https://hluce.org/] and is distributed by PRX [https://prx.org/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwtdi_BhACEiwA97y8BPyhWiNO4ToVk8Gez4Y7C0hT3ni057tX7CoXuLYjF1tMC0DeJmBEahoCLUkQAvD_BwE].

Julian Deshazier is a rapper and a pastor. That sounds like it would be appealing to kids from his old neighborhood on the South Side. But getting them to show up to church on Sundays isn't easy. The Final Service is written and produced by Mateo Schimpf [https://www.mateoschimpf.com/] with additional writing and reporting from Ray Suarez [https://x.com/RaySuarezNews]. It's edited by Jarrod Sport. It's made possible with generous support by the Henry Luce Foundation [https://hluce.org/] and is distributed by PRX [https://prx.org/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwtdi_BhACEiwA97y8BPyhWiNO4ToVk8Gez4Y7C0hT3ni057tX7CoXuLYjF1tMC0DeJmBEahoCLUkQAvD_BwE].

Christian Allyn is proud to be Lithuanian. So when he found out that the archbishop was going to close his Lithuanian church in Waterbury, Connecticut, he decided to step in. Can his appeal save St. Joseph’s Church? The Final Service is written and produced by Mateo Schimpf [https://www.mateoschimpf.com/] with additional writing and reporting from Ray Suarez [https://x.com/RaySuarezNews]. It's edited by Jarrod Sport with production support from Elize Manoukian, Sienna Barnes and Joshua Dudley. It's made possible with generous support by the Henry Luce Foundation [https://hluce.org/] and is distributed by PRX [https://prx.org/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwtdi_BhACEiwA97y8BPyhWiNO4ToVk8Gez4Y7C0hT3ni057tX7CoXuLYjF1tMC0DeJmBEahoCLUkQAvD_BwE].

This is the first chapter in a four-part series about church closures in America. Lorraine Pacheco is the caretaker for a tiny church in an even tinier town in the eastern plains of New Mexico. As she gets older and her congregation shrinks, she’s starting to wonder if it will survive after she’s gone. The Final Service is written and produced by Mateo Schimpf [https://www.mateoschimpf.com/] with additional writing and reporting from Ray Suarez [https://x.com/RaySuarezNews]. It's edited by Jarrod Sport with production support from Elize Manoukian, Sienna Barnes and Joshua Dudley. It's made possible with generous support by the Henry Luce Foundation [https://hluce.org/] and is distributed by PRX [https://prx.org/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwtdi_BhACEiwA97y8BPyhWiNO4ToVk8Gez4Y7C0hT3ni057tX7CoXuLYjF1tMC0DeJmBEahoCLUkQAvD_BwE].

Notice anything about churches in America? In a lot of place they're boarded up. Converted to some other use. Or just abandoned. Reporters Mateo Schimpf and Ray Suarez go on a journey to find out why so many churches are closing, and whether pastors can do anything to save them.