Members of St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Minot will be celebrating on Sept. 9 the day when the addition to the church at 2209-4th Ave. NW will be dedicated.
The event has been a long time coming. Ground was broken in 2008 and members and various contractors have been working tirelessly to complete the 7,500-square-foot addition, which includes a fellowship hall, kitchen and offices.
The Rev. Carlyle Roth, pastor at St. Mark's, said the addition has been badly needed for a long time.
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The Rev. Carlyle Roth, pastor of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in MInot, stands in front of the cross window in the Fellowship Hall of the church.
Loretta Johnson/MDN
"When the church was originally built in 1956 everybody was in their 20s and 30s; they were young and they didn't see a need for a one-level situation. As time passed the need for a one-level church became more apparent," Roth said.
Roth said a large part of the finances came from a quarter-section of land given to the church in a will that was written in 1982. The will stipulated monies acquired from the rental/sale of the land must be used for a ground-level fellowship area with a kitchen at the church.
Lee Clouse, who is on the building committee, expressed her sentiments as the time for dedication of the project nears.
Fact Box
It's time to celebrate
The fellowship hall, kitchen and offices of St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 2209-4th Ave. NW, will be dedicated Sept. 9.
The schedule of events for the day includes worship services at 8:30 and 11 a.m., with a luncheon at 12:30 p.m
The dedication service will be at 2 p.m. with guest speaker the Rev. Herbert Mueller Jr., first vice president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
"We did not take out a commercial loan for this. We collected the money, all through donations, and did 'pay as you go.' The members did a lot of the work. It's been a wonderful experience," Clouse said.
She added, "We are now getting everything finished with the addition. Our next step will be to start a fundraiser for the commercial dishwasher for the kitchen."
Sue Hendrickson, who has been the secretary at St. Mark's for 26 years, chuckled with excitement about the new addition. "I finally have a window," she said. "I really do."