The exodus of First Christian Church congregants from their 88-year-old spiritual home has displaced two popular performing arts organizations in Colorado Springs as well.

Leaders of the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs and the Colorado Springs Chorale say the loss of their offices and place for auditions, rehearsals, meetings and for the Chamber Orchestra, a primary performance venue, is being deeply felt.

“First Christian Church was so central to all of our planning and administrative work, five out of six performances each season and special events,” said Jacob Pope, executive director of the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs. “Churches are the go-to space because they tend to have good acoustics, accessibility, parking and affordability.”

Citing high maintenance costs and dwindling membership, 93% of the congregation of 78 members voted on Oct. 15 to direct its trustees to sell its downtown property at 16 E. Platte Ave.

First Christian Church became the first Disciples of Christ congregation to be established in Colorado Springs in 1878. Members built the main section of the present-day English Gothic-style campus in 1935.

The Chamber Orchestra began holding concerts at First Christian in 1996, said Thomas Wilson, the organization’s music director, after the sanctuary was renovated with improved acoustics and risers for music groups.

The organization will hold a farewell to First Christian concert at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 19.

The group paid monthly rent for its office space but was not charged to use the church for concerts, Pope said.

“They provided the concert space use for free in exchange for listing them as a sponsor in our program booklets,” he said, “as well as for the exchange of some free musicians’ services around Christmas time and Easter.”

The Colorado Springs Chorale had offices at the church since 1998, but the group grew too large to hold concerts at First Christian, said Executive Director Jamie Grandy.

“It’s one of the things we struggle with for performances,” she said. “With 120-plus singers, we also have to find room for a box office, an orchestra, an audience and if it’s acoustically sound — and there are not enough venues to accommodate all that.”

Both groups said they had received vague information earlier this year about the potential sale of the building.

“We were told, ‘We don’t know what the plan is, if we’re going to sell the building, we might stick it out,’” Grandy said. “We decided we couldn’t move in the middle of our performance season, so we decided to bite the bullet and were packing up the office by July.”

Both the Chamber Orchestra and the Colorado Springs Chorale have relocated to First United Methodist Church at 420 N. Nevada Ave., a two-minute drive from First Christian.

First United Methodist Pastor Eric Strader said he didn’t want to comment on allowing the groups to lease space in his church.

The church charges for use of its facilities for concerts and began charging monthly rent for the office in October, Pope said.

Wilson attributes the Chamber Orchestra’s growth — from when performers outnumbered the audience to today’s packed houses — in part to the ambience of First Christian.

A survey he conducted of downtown churches, examining aesthetics, acoustics, bathrooms, parking, stage space, overall environment, culture and appeal showed that “all the pieces came together” at First Christian.

“It’s been an ideal space for so long and for so many reasons, it just really worked,” Wilson said.

But Wilson believes a “massive culture change” is happening.

Churches around the nation are hurting, as the pews are less full following the COVID-19 pandemic and the “nones” — people who claim no religious affiliation — continue to grow.

A new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed that 30% of Americans — nearly one in three adults — do not identify with any religious group.

“You drive around town, and churches are closing everywhere,” Wilson said. “We’re heading straight for an iceberg if we don’t address the issue of performance space, and the arts are such an economic force in Colorado Springs.”

The Pikes Peak region’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $184.6 million in economic activity in 2022, according to the latest Arts & Economic Prosperity 6, an economic and social impact study conducted by Americans for the Arts, the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region announced Wednesday.

Many arts groups are based in churches throughout the city, said Angela Seals, executive director of the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.

“These two sectors have synergy in a way we don’t always see in a lot of other communities,” she said. “There has been a collaborative relationship, and so the closure of the church does affect the arts community in a way it might not in other markets where they might be segregated.”

Seals hopes that the news about First Christian inspires residents and visitors to back the arts.

“I think we should be looking at how we can continue to support and grow our arts groups so they can continue to rent space and not be dependent on free or in-kind venues,” she said.

First Christian Church leaders told The Gazette last week that they were searching for a new location for the congregation, as its longtime building goes on the market.

“The church has been very involved in the music and cultural area of the community, and we intend to do our very best to continue that tradition,” said Senior Pastor Emeritus Gaylord Hatler.