"There's a church over there? I didn't know that!" The geographical boundaries of the community in which I grew up were very distinct. U.S. Highway 81, was on the west edge of our farm. From homestead days my family related to the Sinai community to our east about 7 miles. West of us people went to either Arlington, seven miles north of the farm, or west to Oldham. The people I knew mostly went to Sinai Lutheran Church or Sinai School. A mile west of us we had a very clear view of the Damsgaard farm but I never met the family who lived there until I was out of high school. That church I saw, Spring Lake Covenant Church was five miles away and I never knew it was there until I spotted it from a high point on the farm when I was a teenager.
Spring Lake Church has been closed for some years. Last I knew they were having one worship service a year there. A few years ago, the church had been closed for some time, a wind damaged the building. The insurance money was used to repair it though it stands unused. Today I wandered the cemetery by the church because it was on my route from another cemetery.
Lake Whitewood Lutheran Church is a few miles south of Lake Preston, S.D. and 4 miles north of Sring Lake Church, In the early 70s I had a call to the church in Lake Preston and Lake Whitewood was a part of the parish. Now it is served by the pastors of First Lutheran Church, Brookings, and has services every Sunday when not closed by COVID.
Grandma Negstad, my father's mother had a sister at Lake Whitewood which is about about 25 miles from our farm. Contact with that branch of the family wasn't maintained for some unknown reason. Today, I think I may have found the grave of my great-aunt at the Lake Whitewood Cemetery. More research is needed.
Sundays and cemeteries....what can I say?
Takk for alt,
Al
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