Sure. How about the altar, baptismal font, pulpit and lectern? Sure. The organ, piano and sound system? The windows? Sure.” In the basement, Utke asked about the tables, chairs, plates, sil- verware, appliances, even the broom and dustpan (Zion had lost every- thing). The answer, of course, was “Sure.”
Blanchard even donated its cross from the top of the church. It will eventually be placed on Zion’s steeple.
“Blanchard Lutheran, in its clos- ing, gave new life to Zion Lutheran,” Rindy said. “Blanchard gave away its ‘life’ for the sake of the gospel, which gave hope not only to the
good folks at Zion but also to those who let go of their ‘stuff’ that it might continue doing what it was originally created to do: provide for the praise of the living God.” When Ken Beckman describes Blanchard’s final worship service last fall, the emotion gets caught in his throat. Rindy called it “a pow- erful moment,” when Beckman, Blanchard’s president, and Utke, came forward for the laying on of hands.
In January, members from both
churches gathered again at Zion. Beckman and eight others from Blanchard watched as their “stuff” and the new church was dedicated. It was then that Beckman realized they
had done the right thing. When they first met, Utke asked if Zion should record all the items that were given through the years as memorials, but Beckman told him, “No. Just enjoy it. It’s yours now.” Fifty miles is a long Sunday morning commute, but Beckman said a few members who winter in Arizona will want to visit Zion when they return. And while the 15 to 17 regular Blanchard worshipers will probably land at a church in nearby Hillsboro, Mayville or even Fargo, they will always have a tie to Zion.
Perhaps Rindy said it best: “By giving up the past, both congrega- tions are living into God’s future.”
April 2012 29
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