I wrote a blog on November 12 to get a response and I sure did. I used the occasion of someone with this picture trying to figure out what church it was to try and make a point. Folks wrote and seemed a little offended that I thought this church was forgotten.
Of course it was not forgotten and not unknown. This church is St. John’s in Belford just outside of Hankinson North Dakota. It is not forgotten. You can see how folks have worked hard to modernize and fix it up. I thought it was in the Western part of North Dakota but it is in the Southeast corner and one of those hubs that count in my 6 degrees of separation stories.
These churches are not forgotten or unknown to the generations of folks that attended, were baptized, married, confirmed and whose families were buried there. Howard Jording’s family wrote that their grandpa preached his first sermon there on the way to his new call and preached his last sermon there when Howard was installed as Pastor.
This is now served by Pastor Moline who traveled on a Mary Okeyo scholarship trip and is on the Kenya task force.
Synodical Presidents, District Presidents, and all kinds of interesting folks have connections to St. John’s Belford and her sister church in Hankinson, Immanuel.
Churches don’t get forgotten. Just ask one of our Pastors who got this little note from a parishioner that he had called on because he was worried.
Dear Pastor,
Please don’t worry about us. We are fine. We spent every weekend at the lake and so we weren’t in church. We did go to a church near the lake a couple of times but it is not like our good old church at home. We have been spending a lot of time with the Grand Kids in Minneapolis and Denver and really haven’t found any churches there that we like. There is nothing like our little church that we love. So don’t worry. Don’t be surprised if you see us walk in the doors one Sunday soon. We just love our little church.”
Signed
xxxxxxx
Included in the note was a check for ten bucks.
And you thought I was serious about the church being forgotten!
