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 <a href="https://www.mateoschimpf.com/">Mateo Schimpf</a> with additional writing and reporting from <a href="https://x.com/RaySuarezNews">Ray Suarez</a>. It's edited by Jarrod Sport with production support from Elize Manoukian. It's made possible with generous support by the <a href="https://hluce.org/">Henry Luce Foundation</a> and is distributed by <a href="https://prx.org/?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwtdi_BhACEiwA97y8BPyhWiNO4ToVk8Gez4Y7C0hT3ni057tX7CoXuLYjF1tMC0DeJmBEahoCLUkQAvD_BwE">PRX</a>.

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

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 <a href="https://www.mateoschimpf.com/">Mateo Schimpf</a> with additional writing and reporting from <a href="https://x.com/RaySuarezNews">Ray Suarez</a>. It's edited by Jarrod Sport with production support from Elize Manoukian. It's made possible with generous support by the <a href="https://hluce.org/">Henry Luce Foundation</a> and is distributed by <a href="https://prx.org/?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwtdi_BhACEiwA97y8BPyhWiNO4ToVk8Gez4Y7C0hT3ni057tX7CoXuLYjF1tMC0DeJmBEahoCLUkQAvD_BwE">PRX</a>.

EP4. Stigma

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 <a href="https://www.mateoschimpf.com/">Mateo Schimpf</a> with additional writing and reporting from <a href="https://x.com/RaySuarezNews">Ray Suarez</a>. It's edited by Jarrod Sport. It's made possible with generous support by the <a href="https://hluce.org/">Henry Luce Foundation</a> and is distributed by <a href="https://prx.org/?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwtdi_BhACEiwA97y8BPyhWiNO4ToVk8Gez4Y7C0hT3ni057tX7CoXuLYjF1tMC0DeJmBEahoCLUkQAvD_BwE">PRX</a>.

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Final Service is written and produced by &lt;a href="https://www.mateoschimpf.com/"&gt;Mateo Schimpf&lt;/a&gt; with additional writing and reporting from &lt;a href="https://x.com/RaySuarezNews"&gt;Ray Suarez&lt;/a&gt;. It's edited by Jarrod Sport. It's made possible with generous support by the &lt;a href="https://hluce.org/"&gt;Henry Luce Foundation&lt;/a&gt; and is distributed by &lt;a href="https://prx.org/?gad_source=1&amp;amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwtdi_BhACEiwA97y8BPyhWiNO4ToVk8Gez4Y7C0hT3ni057tX7CoXuLYjF1tMC0DeJmBEahoCLUkQAvD_BwE"&gt;PRX&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
 </description>

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 <a href="https://www.mateoschimpf.com/">Mateo Schimpf</a> with additional writing and reporting from <a href="https://x.com/RaySuarezNews">Ray Suarez</a>. It's edited by Jarrod Sport. It's made possible with generous support by the <a href="https://hluce.org/">Henry Luce Foundation</a> and is distributed by <a href="https://prx.org/?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwtdi_BhACEiwA97y8BPyhWiNO4ToVk8Gez4Y7C0hT3ni057tX7CoXuLYjF1tMC0DeJmBEahoCLUkQAvD_BwE">PRX</a>.

EP3. Chicago

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 <a href="https://www.mateoschimpf.com/">Mateo Schimpf</a> with additional writing and reporting from <a href="https://x.com/RaySuarezNews">Ray Suarez</a>. 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 <a href="https://hluce.org/">Henry Luce Foundation</a> and is distributed by <a href="https://prx.org/?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwtdi_BhACEiwA97y8BPyhWiNO4ToVk8Gez4Y7C0hT3ni057tX7CoXuLYjF1tMC0DeJmBEahoCLUkQAvD_BwE">PRX</a>.

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;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?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Final Service is written and produced by &lt;a href="https://www.mateoschimpf.com/"&gt;Mateo Schimpf&lt;/a&gt; with additional writing and reporting from &lt;a href="https://x.com/RaySuarezNews"&gt;Ray Suarez&lt;/a&gt;. 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 &lt;a href="https://hluce.org/"&gt;Henry Luce Foundation&lt;/a&gt; and is distributed by &lt;a href="https://prx.org/?gad_source=1&amp;amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwtdi_BhACEiwA97y8BPyhWiNO4ToVk8Gez4Y7C0hT3ni057tX7CoXuLYjF1tMC0DeJmBEahoCLUkQAvD_BwE"&gt;PRX&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
 </description>

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 <a href="https://www.mateoschimpf.com/">Mateo Schimpf</a> with additional writing and reporting from <a href="https://x.com/RaySuarezNews">Ray Suarez</a>. 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 <a href="https://hluce.org/">Henry Luce Foundation</a> and is distributed by <a href="https://prx.org/?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwtdi_BhACEiwA97y8BPyhWiNO4ToVk8Gez4Y7C0hT3ni057tX7CoXuLYjF1tMC0DeJmBEahoCLUkQAvD_BwE">PRX</a>.

EP2. Little Lithuania

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 <a href="https://www.mateoschimpf.com/">Mateo Schimpf</a> with additional writing and reporting from <a href="https://x.com/RaySuarezNews">Ray Suarez</a>. 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 <a href="https://hluce.org/">Henry Luce Foundation</a> and is distributed by <a href="https://prx.org/?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwtdi_BhACEiwA97y8BPyhWiNO4ToVk8Gez4Y7C0hT3ni057tX7CoXuLYjF1tMC0DeJmBEahoCLUkQAvD_BwE">PRX</a>.

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;This is the first chapter in a four-part series about church closures in America.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Final Service is written and produced by &lt;a href="https://www.mateoschimpf.com/"&gt;Mateo Schimpf&lt;/a&gt; with additional writing and reporting from &lt;a href="https://x.com/RaySuarezNews"&gt;Ray Suarez&lt;/a&gt;. 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 &lt;a href="https://hluce.org/"&gt;Henry Luce Foundation&lt;/a&gt; and is distributed by &lt;a href="https://prx.org/?gad_source=1&amp;amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwtdi_BhACEiwA97y8BPyhWiNO4ToVk8Gez4Y7C0hT3ni057tX7CoXuLYjF1tMC0DeJmBEahoCLUkQAvD_BwE"&gt;PRX&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
 </description>

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 <a href="https://www.mateoschimpf.com/">Mateo Schimpf</a> with additional writing and reporting from <a href="https://x.com/RaySuarezNews">Ray Suarez</a>. 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 <a href="https://hluce.org/">Henry Luce Foundation</a> and is distributed by <a href="https://prx.org/?gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwtdi_BhACEiwA97y8BPyhWiNO4ToVk8Gez4Y7C0hT3ni057tX7CoXuLYjF1tMC0DeJmBEahoCLUkQAvD_BwE">PRX</a>.

EP1. The Mayordomos

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.

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;Notice anything about churches in America? In a lot of place they're boarded up. Converted to some other use. Or just abandoned.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;
 </description>

The Final Service drops on April 10th.


        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.
      

Trailer

Church membership in the U.S. has fallen off a cliff and pastors across the country are trying to save their congregations from shrinking to zero. Why have so many people left Christianity and can pastors do anything to save their churches from dying?

The Final Service

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