WESTPORT — By ALVIN REINER
The Westport Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has closed to merge with the Middlebury, Vt., ward.
The decision to combine the branches was made by the First Presidency, the policymaking body of the LDS church, at the beginning of the year. It was then up to Bret Weekes, president of the Montpelier Vermont Stake, to implement the plan.
"This was not a process that just happened overnight, and there was a lot of prayer that went into the decision," second counselor in the Elders Quorum Presidency and spokesperson Keith Lobdell said.
About 100 members were listed on the Westport Branch's roster (those who are baptized and confirmed as members), but church attendance had been running at between 35 and 60.
"It's also important to know that in any move we make in the church, we feel that there is a level of inspiration that comes with that move, and I do feel that this move was an inspired one, even though it leads to a lot of personal sacrifice for members who lived in Westport or even further north or west," Lobdell said.
"On this point, I would add that often throughout the Bible, you see examples of where sacrifice brings forth blessings to those willing to trust in the Lord. While there is no way that I am comparing the sacrifice of driving 40 more minutes to those examples, I can say that I have seen blessings come into my family's life through this sacrifice."
The LDS church in Westport was formed out of the then-Middlebury Branch in 1983, and the chapel was constructed in Westport in 1987. The Middlebury Ward leadership consists of Bishop Brandon Hicks of Ferrisburgh, Vt., with counselors Lanny Smith of New Haven, Vt., and Matthew Russell of Crown Point.
The church property in Westport continues to be kept up and is the site for the Westport and Elizabethtown Cub Scout Troop.
"It's weird to go into the chapel area each week," said Lobdell, who also serves as cub master. "But I am glad that the church allowed us to stay because there were so many scheduling conflicts at other places."
The future of the building and site will be determined at a later date.
Prior to the Westport Branch's closure, missionaries serving in the area were moved out in an emergency transfer. The missionaries have since returned to Port Henry and, based on a message relayed from their president, believe that the church is committed to keeping them there.
"As far as the concerns members over here had, I completely understand them because I had the same ones. I've seen friends in other denominations watch as their churches were closed, and half thought, 'That would never happen here,' so it came as a big shock," Lobdell said.
"I personally am glad to see that we have strong members in the Westport area that have the faith to attend church meetings, whether it be in a branch like Plattsburgh or at their new Middlebury home. It's great to know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the same wherever we go to church, and that we are still friends in that way. I am going to continue to strive to make sure that my friends here remain valiant in the faith while looking forward to the blessings that will come through this new adventure known as the Middlebury Ward.
"People on the outside can see a closure like this as an issue of numbers or finance or sustainability," Lobdell continued. "I see it as an issue of faith. I have faith that ... Jesus Christ, whose name this church bears, wants me where I am and doing what I am doing, and that both my family and I will be blessed for that."
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