Marshall Mitchell: Mitchell's Zion Lutheran Church dedicates ministry center at corner of Burr and Fourth

Mar. 17—MITCHELL — The ministry center that was years in the making became reality on Sunday, March 16 as congregants of Zion Lutheran Church made a procession out the front door of the church to dedicate the new building, a nod to the 1953 procession from the old church on First Avenue to the church on Third Avenue.
The nearly $2.3 million ministry center is 10,000 square feet with a spacious fellowship hall, conference rooms, kitchen area, offices for church staff, and a dual-purpose chapel/library. The entire building is on one level of elevation and is American Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant, so that there are no steps to walk up or down, and no need for an elevator.
"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain," Rev. Scott Sailer, district president of the synod, quoted Psalm 127 to the congregation assembled inside of the ministry center.
Mitchell's Zion Lutheran Church at 620 E. Third Ave. held a dedication service for the newly built ministry center at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Burr Street. The church's bell rung at the start of the service.
"The building may stand for decades, but what is done there will echo into eternity. The conversations had there, the prayers lifted up, the forgiveness shared, the love shown in Christ's name — these are the true building blocks of God's kingdom," Rev. Thomas Brown said.
Adam Schulz, chair of the building committee, shared about a recent event held in March at the ministry center, and how it brought congregations from Pierre, Sioux Falls, Delmont, Dimock and Parkston in community together.
"We've had numerous people stop and say, 'What's it going to be used for? Could we rent it? Can we use it?' The answer is yes," Schulz told the Mitchell Republic.
Plans for the ministry center include a meeting place for Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) district and state meetings, pastor conferences, and hosting graduation parties and community-wide events.
Zion Lutheran Church pastor Daniel Grimmer indicated the church would be open to congregations of other denominations using the ministry center, but that the church's leadership board still has to put together rental policies, set fees, and make an application for renting out the ministry center for community events.
The church will continue to meet and hold weekly worship services in the 1953 brick church building on the corner of North Capital Street and East Third Avenue, and the basement of the building will be used for the church's youth. The pastor's office will be moved over to the ministry center so that congregation members will no longer have to go up and down steps or enter by way of the church's singular ADA-compliant side entrance.
"It's just fun to see this come to fruition, and see the congregation here enjoying this project they've been dreaming about for a long time," said Brown, who served at Zion for 11 years before transferring to pastor a church in Spearfish. Brown is on the board of directors for the South Dakota district of the LCMS.
In May, Texas-based Lutheran pastor Brian Wolfmueller will present "Has American Christianity Failed?" at the ministry center.
"A kind of controversial topic, but something to think about and invite people in the community to come and listen and learn, and I'm excited to have a space where we can do those kinds of things," Grimmer told the Mitchell Republic.
The Zion Lutheran Church congregation dates back to 1892. Their first building was purchased and moved to First Avenue in 1910, when a windstorm blew it over the first night. In 1953, they moved into the current building and added an educational wing in 1962. In 1990, they added on again.
"The vision kind of came together about four years ago to not try to attach it to this building, and build it over there. The idea is for it to be an asset, not just to us as a congregation, but to the community," said Eric Schramm, who teaches architectural design and building construction at Mitchell Technical College, and was vice chair of the building committee.
A building committee was formed in 2016
after the corner lots were purchased for construction. The church broke ground on the ministry center in fall 2023, and started building in May 2024.
Zion owns all but two lots of the city block
where the ministry center and church is located.
Future plans for lots on the block may include expansion of the ministry center, more parking, or other options, according to Grimmer, who has been at Zion for the last 10 years.
Shirley Baumgartel, second-generation building committee member, told the Mitchell Republic of being a child in the 1940s and the discussion about building the 1953 Zion church building and hearing the "arguing committee" slam doors.
"Then they had to purchase property after they finally got a majority to go along with the idea," Baumgartel said. "And we would go downstairs as kids after church and listen to them argue while we were in Sunday school."
However, when it came time to put the bell in the bell tower, the congregation members came together and used a ladder and hoist system to get the bell up. They all worked together to get it done, according to Baumgartel, 84. In those days, there were multiple church services, and if you didn't get there early, you sat on the steps.
There was an unexpected enthusiasm around the ministry center planning, according to Baumgartel.
"I can finally rest, and pass it to the next generation," Baumgartel said.
The church surprised Schulz and Schramm with recognition for their leadership in planning the new building in front of the congregation assembled inside the ministry center. The standing ovation brought Schramm to tears.
Ministry Center building committee members included Loren Brech, John Fink, Chris Foster, David Harnisch, Judy Havrevold, Tom Patzer, Sharon Rehorst, Dough Schley, Travis Schnabel, Marvin Strand, and Schulz, Schramm and Baumgartel.
"This project has been in the hearts and minds of many for decades," Brown said. "There were struggles, setbacks, failed plans, failed fundraisers, frustrations, and hours of meetings. And many who prayed for this day — who gave, who dreamed of it, who sat in meetings for it — are not here to see it. But their prayers, their faith, and their hope are built into those walls. Their generosity didn't die with them; it continues in the work done here."
Construction and development for the ministry center was completed by multiple Mitchell and regional businesses.
"It will be a place where friendships are formed, burdens are carried together, and Christ is at the center of it all," Brown said. "This building does not exist for its own sake. May God bless this place as a home for His people, for His Word, and for His mission, until Christ returns in glory."

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