HOUSTON—Some religious centers are closing their doors, while others are laying off staff as a result of the struggling economy coupled with the devastation of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike.

The centers have responded by eliminating unfilled positions, recruiting volunteers to take on paid positions, reducing hours of operation to save energy costs and postponing building construction.

St. John’s Methodist Church in Houston employs 40 people and will see a 20 percent staff reduction between Christmas and New Year’s Day, the Rev. Rudy Rasmus said.

Philanthropic gifts at St. John’s are down 30 percent, Rasmus said. He’s having to cut services and budgets at the same time some are searching for spiritual anchors.

“It’s hard to hear that kind of news and feel holiday cheer,” Rasmus told the Houston Chronicle.

The Rev. Ken Gurley of First Church in Pearland said his congregation has helped to pay mortgages for three other Pentecostal churches.

“The combined effects of Katrina, Rita and then Ike have really stretched church resources to the max,” Gurley said. “In all of these crises, churches literally emptied their pockets.”

Several Evangelical Lutheran churches in Galveston and Houston were struggling even before Hurricane Ike, which blasted ashore near Galveston on Sept. 13 flattening buildings and killing at least 37 people in Texas.

The Park Place Lutheran Church of Houston closed in November 2007, and a for sale sign was planted in the front lawn. Financial problems contributed to the decision to close, said Bishop Mike Rinehart of the Texas-Gulf Coast Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The property was recently sold.

At the Hare Krishna temple, a drop in donations, not attendance, has temporarily stopped construction on a new building.

Hansa Medley, the temple’s outreach director, said donations are down $200,000 — or about 22 percent from November 2007 to November 2008. She’s hoping construction will resume in February.

George Barna, founder of a research firm that studies Americans’ religious habits and behavior, published a bleak report earlier this month about the impact of the economic downturn on churches. The Barna Group found that one out of five households had decreased its giving to churches or other religious centers. And among that group, 22 percent had stopped giving altogether.

Still, some religious leaders are hopeful December will again be a good month for contributions. Barna estimates that as much as one-third of a church’s annual revenue comes at the end of the year.

At Second Baptist Church in Houston, for example, as much as 25 percent of its revenue typically arrives around this time.

The Rev. Gary Moore, its senior associate pastor, said income from year-end stock sales and bonuses typically drive increased giving. And some people increase their donations to take advantage of tax write-offs.