After more than ten years of providing a home away from home for students, Community Bible Church closed its doors in the spring.

In its lifetime, the church saw many students come and go. Former co-pastor and professor of mathematics David Murphy saw his children grow up at Community Bible.

“Seeing my daughter transition from being in the nursery to sitting in the church with us was a wonderful thing to witness there,” Murphy said. “I will miss the growth of relationships that have evolved over the time that we were there.”

Jeff Kunkel started the church in 2010, serving as the lead pastor while still working in upper management elsewhere. Murphy later joined him as a teaching elder and co-pastor. 

After some time, it became too difficult for Kunkel to balance a full-time career and family life on top of his volunteer work at the church. In May 2022, he retired.

“It was determined that the best option for the people of Community Bible was to join other local churches,” he said.

Senior Marleigh Kerr had attended since her freshman year and even continued to occasionally attend remotely while she studied in Washington D.C. She learned about the closing while living on Hillsdale’s campus near Capitol Hill.

“It was just emotional for me to have to deal with the fact that they were now closing, and I wasn’t going to be able to go back to my senior year,” Kerr said.

Kunkel’s wife, Karen Kunkel, mentored Kerr during her time attending the church and became a significant figure in Kerr’s spiritual and personal growth.

“She became just a huge impact on my life at Hillsdale,” Kerr said. “Last year, one of her sons got married, and they moved back to town, and his wife also became just a huge part of the church and my life here.”

For Aaleyah Welman, a sophomore, the church’s intimate size was comforting.

“Coming to Hillsdale was overwhelming as a freshman with the number of people,” Welman said. “I was looking for the smallest community of people with whom I could connect and live life, and they came alongside me.” 

Its small congregation enabled students to dive into a group of spirit-filled individuals. 

“My best memories of the church are the Bible studies,” sophomore Matthew Tully said.

He regrets that he has to find a new church in Hillsdale.

“I don’t like the process of church shopping, I guess,” Tully said. “I like having a place that’s sort of reliable, and it felt like a reliable place. It sort of just disappeared, but I do understand why they had to do it.” 

Murphy and Kunkel agreed the church had to close, but that doesn’t mean they won’t miss it.

“There’s still some sadness left in dealing with change and transition,” Murphy said. “But for the sake of the congregation and others, I think we’ve made the right decision in the end.”