Members of Tornado-Destroyed Delmont Church Save Cornerstone

DELMONT, S.D. (AP) — Members of the tornado-destroyed Zion Lutheran Church in Delmont have removed the cornerstone of the century-old building and hope to incorporate it into a new church.

The church was among 84 structures in and around Delmont damaged or destroyed by the May 10 tornado that also injured nine people. Parishioners scheduled a short Monday morning service to officially decommission the building, and then burn the wreckage.

But Jim Kaufman tells KELO-TV that he's storing the cornerstone at his farm, for use in the future to remember the old church.

Zion Lutheran members on Sunday attended services at Emmaus Lutheran Church in nearby Tripp. The two congregations share a pastor. Delmont resident Nola Redd told The Daily Republic newspaper that the service was "one step on the long road to recovery."

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