When St. John’s Episcopal Church in Norristown closed in 2015 after more than two centuries of serving the community, the parish had around 35 members along with almost $260,000 in debt, writes Egan Millard for the Episcopal News Service.

The cost of maintaining the Episcopal Church – Norristown’s oldest place of worship – kept rising. The future did not look bright, as the church had more funerals than baptisms.

“We just didn’t have any young families and children coming up through the ranks,” said senior warden Bill Kilgour at the time.

However, its closure turned out to be temporary, and two years later the church reopened having rediscovered its community. Today, the parish more resembles the town it serves.

In the last two decades, the Hispanic/Latino population in Norristown jumped from ten percent to 27 percent.  Recognizing the opportunity to reach new people, Pennsylvania Bishop Daniel Gutiérrez enlisted the Rev. Andy Kline, who speaks Spanish, to revive the church by getting to know its neighbors and celebrating their culture.

Now the church has a thriving 60-member congregation that includes 20 families. Most importantly, it hosts a stream of baptisms, fiestas, and weddings.

Read more about St. John’s Episcopal Church in the Episcopal News Service.