Luray ? After attending the same church for more than 80 years, Wilson Nelson was not looking forward to its last service.

The 100-year-old man had been a member of the Cheyenne United Methodist Church, five miles north and three miles east of Luray, since 1917. Every Sunday morning, he would travel with his wife, Velda, 94, for the 10 a.m. Sunday school class and 11 a.m. service.

But that ended the day after Christmas.

On that day, as Nelson slowly made his way up the center aisle to his favorite pew five rows from the front, he stopped to grasp the hand of Roy Chatham, another longtime church member.

“This is going to be the last time we shake hands in here,” Nelson said. He paused, his eyes glistening. “It’s a real shame.”

As Chatham nodded in agreement, another longtime member, Melvin Wilcoxson, approached the men.

“(My wife) Joyce and I were married in this church in 1956,” Wilcoxson said. “We’ll be having our 50th anniversary in two years, but we won’t get to celebrate it here.”

After 127 years, the rural church once referred to as “The Beacon Light on the Hill” was officially closing its doors. Even a 1954 fire couldn’t completely destroy the church — members of this tight-knit farming community rebuilt the scorched building, brick by brick, just a year later — but financial problems and a rapidly diminishing membership finally left the 17-member congregation no choice.

“I’ve been coming here ever since I remember,” said Chatham, 82. “After we built the new building, we pretty much filled every pew. But people died out over the years, a lot of farms got sold and others just moved away. Once there were about 79 homes around here, and now there’s about 13. Our youngest member is past retirement age now.

Ronald Nelson, right, leads the Cheyenne United Methodist Church congregation in song at the Dec. 19 service near Luray. The 127-year-old church in rural Osborne County was closed because it became too expensive to operate with only a few members.

“Young people are the future of any church, but they’re no longer around. That’s why it’s our last Sunday.”

Sharing memories

At 10:05 a.m., after the congregation of eight finished the hymn, “Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us,” Nelson’s son, Ronald, 68, went to the podium to say a prayer. His voice broke as he spoke.

“Thank you, Lord, for the precious memories in this church and all the times your spirit has touched us,” he said, head bowed. “As we discuss our memories today, we hope you will be closer to us.”

He remembered coming to church in a horse and buggy as a child and seeing several parishioners tying their horses to rails before entering the church.

Allen Trexler was not a member of the church, but he drove from Hill City to show off a tattered Bible once owned by his great-grandfather. The Rev. Noah Roberts was a circuit-riding preacher in rural Kansas who was presented the Bible in 1895 by the women of the Cheyenne church.

Jean Applegate teaches Bible study last month at the Cheyenne United Methodist Church near Luray.

Growth of the church

Cheyenne United Methodist Church originated in 1877 from several classes that met in sod homes in what would become Jackson Township in Osborne County. During the next 25 years, parishioners met in an abandoned sod home, framed schoolhouse and vacated house.

By 1903, population growth in the area created a need for a larger building. On Sept. 6, 1903, a new church was dedicated under the name United Brethren in Christ. In 1946, it became the Cheyenne Evangelical United Brethren.

In January 1954, a furnace fire severely burned the church building, and services took place in the nearby Cheyenne School until a new building could be constructed. The new church was built primarily by community members and rededicated in October 1955. It became part of the United Methodist Church in 1968.

Few rural congregations

The closing of Cheyenne United Methodist leaves only three remaining active rural churches in Osborne County.

“The rural churches that have managed to stay open this long have had a town nearby to help sustain it,” said Von Rothenberger, a local historian who works for the Osborne Chamber of Commerce.

Pastor Isobel Stein squeezes the hand of Velda Nelson as she leaves the Cheyenne United Methodist Church near Luray after the last service on Sunday, Dec. 26.

The empty Cheyenne building will remain the property of the Methodist Church until it officially is closed at the next annual conference in May. The building then will belong to the landowner, who will decide what to do with it.

As the 11 a.m. service began, the church uncharacteristically began to fill with people. The congregation of eight had turned into more than 50 by the time the minister, the Rev. Isobel Stein, took to the podium to conduct the last service. Many of these worshippers were children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of church members, while others had heard about the closing and came to pay their respects.

“My father was a pastor here from 1938 to 1941,” said Elizabeth McReynolds, who came from Stockton to attend the service.

Looking down the rows of pews, Margaret Chatham said she was surprised to see such a large turnout of people for the last service.

“It reminds me when we had 100 people and a full choir each Sunday,” said Margaret, who has been a church member since 1940 and married husband Roy in 1947.

Taking their faith with them

The last service continued with more hymns, a sermon from Stein and a vocal solo of “Redeeming Love” by Deloris Wilcoxson.

Stein closed the service, and the church, with a simple blessing.

“We give this building to you, Lord,” she said. “We close its doors, but we don’t close its mission. We may be leaving the building now, but we’re taking our faith with us.”