FELLSMERE — By opening its doors to other groups in need of meeting space, the Fellsmere Community Bible Church has lasted 100 years in the same building at the corner of N. Hickory Street and County Road 512.
But with its faithful and pastor tipping the age 65 mark and megachurch rock bands luring younger people away from the old-school hymns and organ music that graces its old, wooden rafters every Sunday, it’s tough to say whether the congregation will endure the next 100 years.
It is the oldest church in Indian River County that still operates from its original sanctuary and it’s located in the oldest city, too.
Fellsmere Community Bible Church celebrated its centennial last weekend with a special service on the land the Fellsmere Farms Co. donated in 1913. More than 100 people, including local historians and dignitaries from City Hall showed up for the unveiling of a historical marker and a luncheon.
Church member Joel Tyson, who is also the city’s vice mayor, noted there are older churches in the county, but they no longer occupy their original homes.
Tyson said Fellsmere Community Bible Church started as Fellsmere Union Church under a movement that called on churches to share resources, such as their buildings.
Over the years, as other congregations came and went, splitting off to build their own churches, the Fellsmere Union Church became Fellsmere Community Bible Church.
Now 100 years old, the church has returned to its roots. The small congregation uses the building twice a week, on Wednesdays for Bible study and on Sunday mornings for worship and Sunday school.
A Hispanic Baptist congregation, Iglesia Bautista, uses the church Sunday nights and one night during the week and the Seventh Day Adventist United Church of God meets on Saturday afternoon for their Sabbath service, using the Fellowship Hall instead of the sanctuary.
“We’re back to being a union church again,” Tyson said.
Tyson joined the church shortly after one of the space shuttles exploded.
“That incident, for some reason or other, really moved me,” he recalled. “Something told me I had to get to church.”
It’s a different story for the church’s pastor, Ian Crawshaw, a native New Zealander – the same country that produced Fellsmere’s founder, E. Nelson Fell.
“God placed me here,” Pastor Crawshaw said of Fellsmere.
As for leading the church through its centennial, he said it’s a “distinct honor. Praise to God for his faithfulness for all these years.”
But with a mere 25 to 30 regular parishioners attending Sunday service, neither Pastor Crawshaw nor Tyson know what the next 100 years will look like. The average age of the congregation is more than 65. Pastor Crawshaw is 70.
“I don’t know what the future holds,” the pastor said, noting that he doesn’t want to see the church close under his leadership.
But the church is stymied – the older congregation is dedicated to having traditional services. Younger, would-be members prefer a more contemporary style.
“Us old folks don’t appreciate” that style of service, Tyson said, explaining that his lot prefers to sing hymns with a choir, not songs with a band. “We’re in a quandary.”
Several years ago, the church tried to offer both styles of service – one traditional for the older congregation, another contemporary to attract younger members.
For a while, the dual services worked for the church. A conflict, however, led to the end of contemporary services.
The pastor said he’s been praying about the church’s future.
“Right now, we’re vibrant,” he said, explaining that the church is on solid financial ground and is continuing in strong support of missions. “We are a healthy church” despite its size.
Tyson sees one way to bring in new members is through the development of long-planned neighborhoods, attracting those who would be moving to the area.
But that could take another couple years for the economy and real estate market to fully turnaround.
“It’s a struggle, but we’re doing it with God’s help,” Tyson said.
