MACON, Ga. — A Macon-area church that served its community for nearly seven decades has abruptly closed, leaving longtime members scrambling after they were locked out of the building without warning.

Riverside United Methodist Church members learned of the closure through an email Friday, leaving some who had worshiped there for decades feeling blindsided and heartbroken.

"It shocked us," said John Ricketson, a longtime member. "They locked it, changed the lock on Friday, locked us out. We could not get in the building to have service."

The church had been struggling financially in recent years, members say. To stay afloat, they leased office space to the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church and later rented the sanctuary to Encounter Church.

Churchgoers thought t

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