"The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit."

- Nelson Henderson

Pastor Peggy Hanson points out the extent of the repairs needed in the Madison UMC sanctuary.

The United Methodist congregation in Madison, South Dakota, is living out this value as they undertake the challenging journey of a capital campaign and significant repair and renovation.

In May 2022, a derecho with wind gusts of nearly 100 mph ripped through the area, severely damaging their building.

"The whole town looked like a war zone," described Dave Daniel, a member and leader in the Madison congregation. "I saw parts of the building laying out in the parking lot, but I didn't realize it took an entire chunk of the roof."

Demand for contractors was high, as they repaired their own properties or were snapped up by others immediately. Subsequent rains caused additional damage to the compromised structure.

"One of our towers was open to the sky for nearly eight months," recalled Daniel.  "We set up about 30 buckets to try to catch the water. It was a wet, stinky mess for quite a while."

With such extensive damage to such a seasoned building—including a 1906 sanctuary—the church's leadership asked the hard question: Should we repair the existing structure or demolish and rebuild? While many factors were considered, it ultimately came down to the best and most realistic cost analysis. As their "Building on the Promises" campaign describes, they would "refresh, restore, and renew."

"We want to do the best we can with what we know now," said Pastor Peggy. "We're doing it for the generations to come."

The congregation had to move out of the sanctuary to address the internal and external damages to the building. Easter worship ended with relocating "anything that wasn't bolted down" to other areas of the building.

During the renovation, the congregation has embodied a spirit of adaptability. Because the sanctuary is a primary work site, they have used their lower-level fellowship hall as their worship space.

"The space had been used by the church and other groups for worship in the past, so we knew we could make it work," explained Pastor Peggy.

The leadership also discovered a grant from the State of South Dakota—the Brownsville grant—that would cover the cost of removing the damaged asbestos ceiling tiles and flooring.

Madison UMC set a goal of $650,000 for the Building on the Promises campaign.

This massive endeavor has involved a major capital campaign, a new experience for Pastor Peggy and many other church leaders.

"The [Dakotas Methodist] Foundation had been so helpful," said Pastor Peggy.

Sheri Meister, president of the Foundation, coached the team through planning and implementing the capital campaign, beginning with a feasibility study to help set a realistic fundraising goal of $650,000 for the congregation that averages around 90 in worship.

"It has been a pleasure to work with the Madison team because of their love for the church and their willingness to take the leap of faith," said Meister.

The Foundation was also a key partner through the Builders Club. Builders Club supports the building projects of United Methodist Churches in the Dakotas through the donations of hundreds of people across the Conference. One church is chosen each quarter, and a "call" is put out to persons who have signed up to be partners of the Builders Club.

"The Builders Club is such a symbol of connection," said Meister. "This is one of my favorite programs that we lead because it is people across the entire conference supporting churches that they may or may not have been to or have direct relationships with, but they give because of the spirit and value of the connection."

A recent gift from a donor who shared that value will provide up to $15,000 in matching funds, multiplying the impact of this collaborative ministry. Jim Loomer, a member of the United Methodist Church in Alexandria, South Dakota, who passed away in 2022, believed in the Builders Club's mission, and his family chose to honor his legacy of faithfulness with this endowment gift from the Jim and Marlys Loomer estate.

The Madison congregation received a grant of $31,000 - $16,000 from the 199 donations from Builders Club partners and $15,000 from the matching funds.

For Pastor Peggy, this embodiment of connection was meaningful. "The Loomer family had connections to the previous churches I served, Lead Trinity and Pierre First," explained Pastor Peggy. "So it was pretty special to be the recipient of this matching grant.

The power of connection also showed up in very practical ways. While discussing design possibilities for their church bell, someone suggested they create a structure like the United Methodist Church in Canton, South Dakota.

Rather than “reinvent the wheel,” they called upon the clergy network and family connections – members of the Stearns family who are a part of both the Canton and Madison churches. "I called Pastor Clay [Lundberg], and he was able to find the blueprints," Pastor Peggy said. "Then he got it to a Stearns who got it to a Stearns who got it to us."

The fellowship hall has become the primary worship space during construction at Madison UMC.

While the process has been arduous in many ways, the teamwork and collaboration within the church and through other relationships and contacts have fueled the congregation to keep moving forward.

"When you go through a hardship, it brings people closer together," said Daniel.

With each item checked off on the progress report and improvement becoming more visible, Pastor Peggy can also see the congregation moving past tasks and survival into a hopeful future.

"We're starting to dream again," she said. She sees that spirit of hope and possibility as they move toward the holidays and the outpouring of generosity for the Shoebox Christmas mission has been coupled with new ideas for a kids Christmas shopping event.

The catalyst for all of this may have been a storm. But as Meister puts it, "This whole experience has been a perfect storm of connection and generosity."

"From the leaders and generous donors who have stepped up in the church, to the timing of the Loomer gift, to the partnership with the Foundation and Conference – God is on the move in Madison."