Mitchell's Zion Lutheran Church building for the future

Sam Fosness, The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
·3 min read

Oct. 20—MITCHELL — A local church is ushering in a new era and making way for growth.

The Zion Lutheran Church (Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod) is gearing up to build a worship hall next to its existing sanctuary on Burr Street. After securing a conditional use permit and variance request from the Mitchell City Council, the church that has stood tall on Burr Street since 1953 was given the green light to welcome its biggest expansion.

Zion Lutheran Church Rev. Daniel Grimmer said the new building will provide a larger space for a variety of church-related activities and accommodate the growing congregation.

"We have a need for more accessible, as well as larger space, for fellowship meals, various ministries, community outreach and education programs," Grimmer said during a September groundbreaking ceremony on the land where the new building will soon be constructed. "We pray, and give thanks to God and that it may serve not only the congregation but our community as well."

Eric Schramm, a member of Zion Lutheran Church who is a building instructor at Mitchell Technical College, has helped facilitate the project. During Monday's city council meeting, Schramm detailed issues at the aging church that have hampered accessibility for the congregation.

"Our current fellowship hall is down in the basement of our current church, and we do not have accessibility. Our elevators have been deemed not functional, so that also led to this project," Schramm said. "This will also house the staff of our offices and staff."

Schramm broke down the design of the building and noted it will be American Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible. The exterior of the new worship hall building will feature stucco paneling, which Schramm said mimics the exterior of Mitchell's Pizza Ranch.

Although the existing church is made of brick, Schramm said the stucco paneling is a more economically feasible material for the church to fund for the new worship hall.

"It is a metal panel that has a stucco look to it," Schramm said, noting it will blend in with the church.

Council member Susan Tjarks supported the new building project but sought information from church leaders on their plans for the existing sanctuary that dates back to 1953. Tjarks asked if future plans entailed tearing down the longstanding church and moving operations over to the new building.

Schramm said there are no plans to demolish the aging church and added that it will continue to be an integral part of the congregation.

"With the historic value of the building, I think we would always have the sanctuary continue to be the place of worship," he said.

The church has positioned itself to expand in additional areas at the Burr Street location, which sits in between East Third and East Fourth avenues surrounded by residential homes. City Planner Mark Jenniges said the church has first right of refusal on a neighboring lot and owns another lot next to the church.

"They have future plans for the area. There is a house where a future classroom would be, but they are looking 30 to 40 years down the road for that," Jenniges said.