Neva Harding’s history notes say that in the early 1890s a few Episcopalians put their heads together and said, “Let’s have a Church in Brookings.” We’ve been making this simple statement ever since.

Mrs. Lorrimer is given credit for writing a request to Bishop Hare. Hare sent Rev. McBride to look us over, and later the Bishop himself came, talked the matter over, and organized the Church.

Bishop Hare held the first service July 29, 1893 in the G. A. R. Hall (photo), where meetings were held that summer. He held morning and evening services with baptisms and confirmations. He arranged to have Rev. McBride add Brookings to his list of missions for occasional services. There were 40 men and women and children.

Neva Harding writes, “So great was their zeal of these early Episcopalians that by November of the same year, 1893, they were able to hold service in the new church building, at a cost of $1,100, all paid for.” The new church building measured 20 feet by 40 feet. It was built on 7^th Street, but later moved to the corner of 5^th Street and 5^th Avenue to be closer to downtown. Neva wrote, “They all worked like beavers to get the church furnished, including paper on the windows that looked like stained glass. Matt Wimsey bought a carpet on wholesale, and picked up an old organ from some defunct lodge, an organ that had to be pumped twice for every reluctant note produced.”

The photo shows the GAR building (Grand Army of the Republic, Civil War Soldiers) on 5^th Street between Main Street and 3^rd Avenue. The hall was later moved to the intersection of the railroad tracks and Medery Avenue to become the Odd Fellows Hall.

A picture of the first St Paul’s church building was included on a vintage post postcard titled “Brookings SD, The City of Churches.” Our early church was really “on the move.” Yes, early St Paul’s did grow and did influence the community, but the church building was actually moved from the corner of 6^th Street and 7^th Avenue (just a block away from our current location) to 5^th Street and 5^th Avenue, a move of 2 blocks that put the church closer to Main Street.
We take pride in the fact that the prestigious Boston firm named Cram and Ferguson designed our current church building and rectory. Ralph Adams Cram, a famous architect, produced many collegiate (e.g. US Military Academy, Princeton, MIT, University of the South, Rice, Sweet Briar) and ecclesiastical works in a neo-Gothic style (e.g. part of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NY; Church of John the Evangelist, St Paul, MN; St Mark’s Cathedral, Hastings and First Presbyterian Church, Lincoln, NB). When his picture was on the cover of Time Magazine in 1926, Cram was described as “the most influential Episcopal layman in the country.” Records at St Paul’s credit Rev. Paul Roberts, a Connecticut Priest who served St Paul’s from 1912 – 1919, with securing Cram’s services for perhaps his smallest ecclesiastical project – St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brookings South Dakota.

The picture shows St Paul’s church on the 20^th Anniversary (1918 – 1938). The church is much taller than the trees surrounding it. In 2009 one of these elm trees was removed because of Dutch elm disease.

The cornerstone of today’s church building was laid in October 1917. Inside is a sealed metal box containing a Bible, prayer book, hymnal, church history, list of parishioners, copies of church publications, a copy of the Brookings Register for October 4^th, 1917, and pictures of the old church building, pictures of Bishops Burleson, Hare and Biller, and a 1917 penny and dime.

It was said, “The whole community as well as members of St Paul’s Parish are grateful to Mr. Roberts and to the architects that two such unusual buildings as the church and the rectory are here to delight and to inspire.” The church was opened on Easter Day of 1918 (we presume that the Rectory was opened at the same time).

A recent photo of our current building shows changes in the north east corner. The brick steps were removed and the entry was remodeled in 2008-9 to include the leaded glass windows that were removed when the stained glass window was installed. Original interior doors can be opened to brighten the church with light from the amber leaded glass windows.

The downstairs entrance to the basement (far right) was blocked and filled in 2009. Andy Trump remembers shivering on these steps as Sunday School classes waited to enter the church when the sermon ended. The sign was built by Ralph Towne and dedicated to David Pierson in 1992. The grounds around this corner of the church are now a flower garden.

The cornerstone of today’s church building was laid in October 1917. Inside is a sealed metal box containing a Bible, prayer book, hymnal, church history, list of parishioners, copies of church publications, a copy of the Brookings Register for October 4^th, 1917, and pictures of the old church building, pictures of Bishops Burleson, Hare and Biller, and a 1917 penny and dime.

It was said, “The whole community as well as members of St Paul’s Parish are grateful to Mr. Roberts and to the architects that two such unusual buildings as the church and the rectory are here to delight and to inspire.” The church was opened on Easter Day of 1918 (we presume that the Rectory was opened at the same time).

A recent photo of our current building shows changes in the north east corner. The brick steps were removed and the entry was remodeled in 2008-9 to include the leaded glass windows that were removed when the stained glass window was installed. Original interior doors can be opened to brighten the church with light from the amber leaded glass windows.

The downstairs entrance to the basement (far right) was blocked and filled in 2009. Andy Trump remembers shivering on these steps as Sunday School classes waited to enter the church when the sermon ended. The sign was built by Ralph Towne and dedicated to David Pierson in 1992. The grounds around this corner of the church are now a flower garden.

One of the things that we will be doing at Church services on the Sundays of November is a Season of Thanksgiving. St. Paul’s has done this off and on for a few years, and it is something that generally seems to be well received. We will have special additions to the Prayers of the People, as well as setting out the basket for donations to the area Food Pantry. The food collected will be brought up during the offertory on Sundays along with the bread and wine.

Please consider bringing a can or two of food to help in this Season of Thanksgiving endeavor.

Thanks,

-Fr. Ryan

My brothers and sisters in The Episcopal Church:

The Episcopal Church in Sudan has been a significant national leader and source for peace and reconciliation throughout the hostilities and wars in recent decades. Sudan is facing a referendum in January 2011, during which most observers expect that Southern Sudan will vote to become a separate nation.

As a fellow member of the Anglican Communion, Sudan’s fragile state is a matter for our own concern. Most of us know something of the violence and bloodshed in Darfur, which has been well publicized in the media. Many of us know about, and have even met, some of the so-called “Lost Boys” of Sudan, who immigrated to the United States as refugees beginning in 2001. The Episcopal Church now has a number of Sudanese congregations and communities of faith as a result.

Episcopalians have begun to learn about the violence that continues to face the people of Sudan both in south and north. The warring factions in Sudan reached a peace agreement in 2005, which diminished the level of violence, but did not end it. Part of that Comprehensive Peace Agreement called for a referendum on self-determination and possible independence for Southern Sudan, to be held in 2011.

The current political entity called Sudan is the result of its colonial history, linked with both Egypt and Britain. Since independence in 1956, it has been wracked by civil war and ongoing political and military violence. Sudan has significant natural resources, especially in the form of oil, most of which is located in southern Sudan. The centralized Sudan government in Khartoum is led by President Omar al-Bashir, who has been charged with international war crimes.  Southern Sudan has a share in the national government, and is largely autonomous as a region.  Northern Sudan is primarily Muslim and Shari’a law is the basis for justice. Southern Sudan is home to Christians and those who practice African traditional religions.

The Episcopal Church of the Sudan has approximately 5 million members, and has been a leader in seeking basic human rights, including religious freedom, as well as the hard work of peacemaking.  Many observers believe there is a high likelihood for a re-emergence of violence in the build up to the referendum or in its aftermath, particularly over religious prejudice and control of the oil resources.

The world has a significant stake in peace in Sudan, for any violence unleashed there can quickly destabilize the surrounding nations of Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Congo, Central Africa, Chad, and Libya.  The Sudanese bishops I met in 2008 told me vivid stories of watching arms being moved into southern Sudan by jeep and camel. Those bishops and their congregations, and many, many civilians around them, yearn for peace – for the ability to raise families and crops, to educate their children, and to worship God as they choose.

The United States is a nation founded on principles based on religious freedom, self-determination, and control of the resources of the lands we occupy. Native Americans would challenge those who came later about all of those principles and the ways in which they were (not) upheld, yet most Americans, whatever their heritage, see those principles as foundational. The United Nations holds similar principles as basic to human rights. Sudan is in the throes of a national struggle for basic freedom and human rights.

I want to challenge us as a Church to pray for the people of Sudan, to learn more about the forces driving the violence, and to advocate for a peaceful referendum, and whatever the outcome, a peaceful future. Our churchwide staff has prepared resources for use in your congregation and diocese.

The Episcopal Church can stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Sudan as we enter a season of preparation by prayer, study, and action. As we approach the season of preparation for the Prince of Peace, we pray that his reign may be made real in Sudan. The prayers and labor of people throughout the world can help to prepare the way.

I remain,

Your sister in Christ,

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate

Also, thanks to those individuals who donated fabric and other supplies to be used to make dresses for orphan children in Haiti. I visited the Mission Coffeehouse for the first time when I delivered the fabric St. Paul’s donated and was very impressed. I did not stay for coffee that morning but plan to make it a destination point in the future. The coffeehouse only serves coffee that has been made from beans for which the farmer has been paid a fair wage, and the profits from their sales (they also serve lunch over the noon hour) are used to support the missions of First Lutheran Church.

Warm weather has finally arrived, and the soup suppers on Wednesday will end soon, but we hope to plan some other events for the summer months; more summery events, like salad suppers, BBQs, or ice cream socials. More on this next month.

The email list stands at 16 while our snail mail list stands at 75. People who are receiving the e Messenger are getting color pictures, and saving St Paul’s a few pennies in copying and mailing costs. Anyone else interested?

The entire Diocese took part in crafting this vision for ministry in the Diocese of South Dakota, and we intend for it to express who we are and where we hope to go together to be the best Diocese we can be. The initiative got a big push from the leadership of The Rev. Canon Dr. Robert T. Wagner.

So what is this initiative? Following is a summary of information on the Diocesan website. Forgive me for getting quickly past the high sounding vision and mission statements and get to the goals and issues.

There are several goals 1) education – offer curriculum in Christian Formation, train educators to engage students; 2) Ministry support – leadership development; 3) minister development – encourage each person to fulfill their individual ministries; 4) Achievement management – communicate and evaluate; 5) stewardship – promote responsible care of church, community, environment and ourselves; 6) evangelism – training in sharing the Good News and Anglican traditions; 7) Community engagement – action to address human needs and justice in local communities at the congregational level.

Bishop Tarrant says there are three issues – 1) setting priorities, 2) renewal, and 3) partnership.

His first priorities are Stewardship, Evangelism and Community Engagement. These three priorities define: · who we are – we are stewards of the bounty that God has given us. · Why we’ve come – we are heralds of God’s kingdom, and · what we are to do – we are called to love God and our neighbors.

To bring about renewal, he plans to listen to us tell of our understanding of relations with God, family, church, community (he didn’t mention Earth, but I suppose it is in there somewhere).

To develop partnerships, he wants to hear how we can all work together in this Diocese as the Body of Christ. He offers an awesome quote from St. Theresa of Avila who said “Christ has no body now on earth but ours, no hands but ours, no feet but ours, ours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion is to look out to the earth, ours are the feet by which He is to go about doing good and ours are the hands by which He is to bless us now.”

Bishop Tarrant says “I want to nurture a spirit of partnership in which everyone can have their say, · all can hear the gospel, and · everyone can say with gratitude I am an Episcopalian from South Dakota. Here am I, send me!”

In Thorburn Hall smaller earth balls hung over each table and information about conservation was available for coffee-time discussion. St Paul’s Natural Cathedral Committee promoted Earth Day Sunday through the city’s ministerial association and several churches and religious groups included stewardship messages on Earth Day Sunday.

Thanks to Fr. Ryan Hall (Episcopal) and Pastor George Gehant (Lutheran, United Retirement Center) for their interest and action.

On the day after Earth Day Sunday, C. Berry found that our Earth Ball has a small leak. The poor thing looked like a raisin handing from the ceiling. This appearance is in itself a great metaphor for our use of Earth’s resources.

Some calculations show that humans are over-using the Earth’s resources. Some say that we need 2.5 earths to support us at our current consumption rate. The shriveled Earth Ball (see photo) may be telling us something.