131 Year old church up for sale or lease

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. -- A walk through St. Peter's Church quickly reveals its age.

First built in 1882, the place just oozes with history, part of the reason why Pastor Gail Holman loves preaching here so much.

But due to a drop in Sunday's attendance numbers, that may soon change.

"Change is inevitable," Holman said. "Things aren't always going to stay the same; they aren't always going to look the same."

So the chuch is opening a new chapter in its history.

Currently, St. Peter's only has about 30 to 40 dedicated members, which means, they'll need to start finding other uses for the building if they want to keep it.

"We know this is the direction we need to go," Melissa Payne, President of the church, said.

She's been faithfully attending services at the place of worship since she was a little girl. In that time, she's noticed a shift in people's prayer's habits.

"Saturday's and Sunday's back then used to be family time," Payne said. "That doesn't exist anymore."

So the church is adapting.

Right now, members are looking to lease St. Peter's auditoriums and banquet halls to anyone who wants or needs the space.

If that doesn't pan out, they might have to merge with another congregation.

"When your exposure and experience of faith always occurs on Sunday, and in a structure, you have to think how you reprogram your faith," Homan said.