The oil rush in the Bakken formation near Dickinson, ND, has spurred a massive influx of people from a variety backgrounds to the area. Dickinson, a major business hub for the oil industry, and the Dickinson United Methodist Church are experiencing unexpected growth. Not only single young men, but now families with kids and people from all walks of life are moving in. The church building is literally bursting at the seams, and the congregation has recently voted to move forward, to envision a even bigger and bolder future.

Photo courtesy of Linda Renaud: Rev. Dick Rinearson with a crowded chancel on a recent Sunday morning.

Dickinson UMC member Amy O’Donnell says, “We have gone from a few people at a stoplight every now and then to traffic everywhere. It has brought in people from every state. The community is growing very rapidly.”

Rev. Dick Rinearson sees a growing community and church mission. “We have several new families that have been coming to the church. We’ve gone from almost empty Sunday School classrooms to overflowing classrooms. On Palm Sunday we took in 18 new members. This is a church with a long history of reaching out into the community.”

Children’s Education Director Debbie Wilson sees the excitement in the children’s ministries. Wilson said, “We as a church have evolved and grown. They feel the excitement and their kids are having fun; wanting to come.”

Photo courtesy of Linda Renaud: the Dickinson UMC youth group

The church’s high school youth group has also found new life in growth. “We meet every Wednesday; we end up playing games a lot, but we talk about God and we have a message,” says Elizabeth Yoder. “I invite my friends a lot and they come and have fun.”

Recently a group of citizens of Zimbabwe who had lived in New Brunswick, Minnesota, moved to Dickinson for jobs and have become a part of the church. Annie Msimbe, a member of that group, said, “The people here - I thank them so much that they accepted us. You know that wherever you go when you are new you think when you are black, you think what are they going to say?  Our minds are full of segregation, being segregated. But then, here, they didn’t do that.

Photo courtesy of LInda Renaud: Children worshipping in the Dickinson UMC sanctuary. Member Rich Hutchens is excited about new opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus. “The community concert that is held on Thursday nights, is called Alive at Five. We go down and set up a table and give away free water.” Hutchens continued, “We baked cookies and went out to the truck stops and just knocked on truck drivers’ windows and those camped-out at the truck stops, and gave them cookies.” Hutchens, who also chairs the Building Committee, said, “Our foundation is failing underneath the sanctuary. I hope we are a growing, excited church, that we are worshipping in a good safe place that’s visible and open to all of the people in the community.”

With new needs, come new opportunities to witness, to serve, and to invite a new people with open arms. Dickinson United Methodist Church is dreaming about a future with a new building filled with new people. In June, the congregation voted to accept the Building Committee’s recommendation to relocate and build a new church. That vote has put a process in motion that is still facing obstacles, such as finding an appropriate and affordable lot, but the excitement is growing, and the congregation is dreaming- of new spaces, new people, and new opportunities to serve and grow in faith.

“We are comfortable with what we are doing, but we know there’s something more that God is calling us to do,” Rinearson said, “but none of us knows what that is going to look like.”

Watch Dreamin' in Dickinson video from Dakotas UMC on Vimeo.