Chynhale Methodist Church is to hold its last service on Easter Sunday, after 136 years of worship.

Led by church minister Rev Beverly Turner and Rev Danny Reed, superintendent minister of The Lizard and Mounts Circuit, the final service will begin at 11am and include Holy Communion.

The service will be followed by a lunch in the schoolroom.

Church secretary Gillian Lawrance said: “We are going out on a high.”

Despite its rural location near Sithney, Chynhale has been attracting a congregation of between 20 and 30 in recent years.

However, financial considerations have prompted the closure and the worshipers took the view that rather than carry on spending money on upkeep it would be more effective to close their building and to attend services elsewhere.

Some of the congregation are going to Helston Methodist Church and others to Porthleven, while some have yet to decide.

The concept of building a chapel at Chynhale came at a meeting on April 15, 1878 at Trevarno, then home of the Bickford-Smith family. William Bickford- Smith designed the chapel and became its first treasurer, with Mr JR Glasson appointed secretary.

The foundation stone was laid on January 8, 1879 and the first baptism took place on February 1, 1880 of John Ivey, son of William and Elizabeth Ivey from Prospidnick.

Chynhale became registered for marriages in March 1899 – prior to that the local registrar had to be present – and the first marriage recorded in the Chynhale chapel register is that of Thomas Faull, a tin miner, and Mary Williams on April 20, 1900.

A document dated November 23, 1881 reveals stringent rules of burying in the Wesleyan Cemetery at Chynhale Chapel. One interesting snippet is that the sexton’s fees for sinking brick graves was ten shillings (50p) for adults and five shillings (25p) for those of 12 years and under.

Mrs Lawrance said: “For 136 years, successive congregations of Chynhale Methodist Church have been spreading the Good News, using the chapel as a base. Now, the present congregation will continue to witness but without the expense and effort of maintaining a building,” and described it as “all very positive.”