Empty churches and empty barns

As we drive around our communities, we notice more and more empty barns where farmers kept animals for generations past. A few of these old barns have been repurposed as machine sheds or even cleaned up and adapted as places for parties or wedding receptions. Most old barns have either been torn down to reduce taxes or just let deteriorate and fall down.
I grew up in a time when there was a church at every second cross road and half a dozen in each town. Church was where everyone went (if you were able) on Sunday to chat with the neighbours, find out if anyone was sick or getting married, have a chance to sing with a big enough crowd that if you missed a note no one noticed and be reminded of the Ten Commandments. It also renewed our faith that if we acted as God expected us to and looked out for our neighbours and those less fortunate, we might eventually get to a place much better than here!