First Lutheran Church in Bryan will close just before the new year.

After serving as a place of worship for nearly 100 years, the First Lutheran Church in Bryan will close just before the new year. Pastor Mary Beth Smith-Gunn, who has served five years as the pastor at the church, said this was a longtime coming. Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Williams County started discussing the possibility of sharing leadership and ministries. Three came together in 2018 to form the Williams County ELCA Parish…the First Lutheran and Trinity Lutheran churches in Bryan…and St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Edon. The decision meant the three churches had a common purpose and mission but continued to be autonomous for worship and outreach. In 1875, the Lutheran congregation began meeting above a grain store on Main Street before moving to a church on the corner of North Main and West Bryan streets. That church burned down in 1921 and in 1923 the congregation purchased the land at 210 N. Cherry St. The church was dedicated the next year. In total, 24 pastors have served the church.