South Dakota church destroyed by tornado to reopen soon

DELMONT, S.D. (AP) - A church in Delmont that was destroyed by a 2015 tornado is almost ready to reopen.

The Zion Lutheran Church is tentatively scheduled to open Memorial Day weekend. A grand opening may get pushed to June in case remaining work still needs to be completed, the Daily Republic reported (https://bit.ly/2ofZxyl ).

Pastor Brian Bucklew said that even with the new, smaller design, the church still needs to install the pews, altar, windows, insulation, electricity and plumbing.

“You see it now, and it looks like there’s a long way to go, but there’s really not,” he said. “But what we have left will go pretty fast.”

The roughly 10,000-square-foot space will have the capacity to hold about 200 people, less than the former church that could hold 350. Bucklew said the smaller structure is a conscious move to accommodate for a small congregation and spiraling population in Delmont.

“You look at what we have left of the town and how many people will still be coming here when it’s all said and done and sometimes you wonder,” church president Terry Klumb said. “There are people that are gone, but there are still people that are here. You can’t just shut down because a few decided to go away.”

Bucklew said the project has fallen within budget so far, but declined to disclose the cost.

Even with differences from the old church, the new one will continue to hold onto the German gothic design, using the original altar, remnants of some original stained-glass windows and the old cornerstone with the church’s name in German.

“It’s been quite a ride,” Klumb said. “We’re ready to be home.”

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Information from: The Daily Republic, https://www.mitchellrepublic.com