WILMINGTON — After 250 years, the dwindling congregation of a Vermont Congregational church has decided to merge with a larger one.

Vermont Public Radio reported that the church in Wilmington was founded in the late 1700s, and rebuilt following a fire shortly after the Civil War. But attendance had been on the decline for years.

The Rev. Emily Heath was called in 2010 to minister to both the Wilmington and Dover churches. At the time, she says the church in Dover was attracting new members; Wilmington was struggling over whether to close.

Heath said she’s proud of the congregation’s decision to merge with the Dover church.

Meanwhile, the congregation of St. Mary’s in the Mountains Episcopal Church has been meeting in the Wilmington church after theirs was flooded in Tropical Storm Irene.