Time To Rebuild South Dakota Church After Fire & Storm Damage

A South Dakota church is looking towards the future after a lightning strike damaged the worship site.

Hosanna Lutheran Church in Watertown, South Dakota, is starting to rebuild its church. With the help of the community, anything is possible for this small town South Dakota church.

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The Table Ministry (via Facebook)

Our news partners at Dakota News Now recently spoke with the Hosanna Lutheran Church community about the damage and their resilience. It's an extremely rare occurrence to have lightning damage a building. Pastor Craig Werling of Hosanna Lutheran Church tells Dakota News Now it's something they could never anticipate. Especially the fire after the lightning strike.

“We didn’t have any internet, no phones. We turned off our computers and [Administrative Assistant] Anna [Kettwig] said, ‘I’m going to leave about a half hour earlier than usual.’ I was walking out with her and she immediately said, ‘This is strange. I smell smoke.’ ”

The lightning strike was described as "this tremendously loud thunder and felt it almost as much as heard it." The fire came shortly after lightning hit the church. The building suffered heavy water and smoke damage.

The Table Ministry (via Facebook)

The Watertown Event Center will temporarily host worship services for members of Hosanna Lutheran Church. Everyone is just thankful for the support from the Watertown community and other churches.

“We’ve received sustenance from many other churches and individuals in Watertown, across South Dakota, across the country and across the world. God is strengthening us and he’s provided leaders and provided many resources to us, that this is all going to be taken care of, so we just preach that good news of the Lord provides, the Lord keeps His promises."

There is no timeline on when Hosanna Lutheran Church will welcome people for services. Additional details about the damage and Hosanna Lutheran Church can be found here.

It just shows you that anything is possible when people are supporting one another in times of trouble.

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