“
I would urge anyone
— any organization,
any group, any board—
who reads this article to
take a chance and apply
for whatever may be
available to restore their
piece of history that’s
important to them. Don’t
hold back, don’t be afraid.
It’s one of the best learning
experiences you’ll
probably have—it’ll benefit
your people, culture,
heritage, by preserving
who you are.”
—Paul Berge
Swedish Zion Church
The altar and painting at the Wood Church at Valley Grove. Credit: Joshua Castaño
the land [the property borders a restored prairie] in the long
term,” says Wagenbach.
Participation in the training sessions facilitated by
Partners’ staff serves as an important opportunity for lead-
ership at each of these churches to increase their knowledge
of how best to tell their story and fundraise for their sacred
place, but also to share success stories with each other. For
example, the Vidalin Icelandic Lutheran Church Cemetery
Association cares for a church building in Akra, North Da-
kota, initially built by the Icelandic Lutheran congregation
in the late 1880s. When Vidalin was chosen to participate in
the Nordic Churches Project, Carol Beard (one of the Ceme-
tery Association’s board members) notes that the opportu-
nity to participate was “wonderful and gave them funds to
undertake major projects…it has afforded the luxury to
have more money for [other] repairs,” as well. Beard and
another member of the Cemetery Board attended the Sep-
tember 2018 training and told the story of how they were
previously able to raise more than $40,000 as part of a letter
campaign to descendants of those buried in the cemetery.
Hallson Icelandic Church, Cavalier, North Dakota.
Photo courtesy of the church.
SACRED PLACES • SUMMER 2019
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