Then they said to him, “Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful.” The priest answered them, “Go in peace. Your journey has the Lord’s approval.”  - Judges 18:5-6

The Journey at Spirit Lake is an emerging congregation on the Spirit Lake Nation just south of Devils Lake, North Dakota. Mike and Libby Flowers, who serve as co-directors at the Spirit Lake Ministry Center, decided to start the congregation after having many people ask if they offer worship. What started with eight people worshipping together has grown to an average attendance of 45 people attending The Journey each week. 

As a part of the Spirit Lake Nation, The Journey at Spirit Lake is a hybrid of contemporary and Native American cultural worship. They provide a place for everyone, from young to old, to feel welcome and come as they are. Kids love learning about the different Bible stories through Sunday school each week and VBS in the summer.  Congregation members join together each month to provide a service outreach in their community, from baking and delivering cookies, making blankets, Christmas caroling, and more. 

A few years ago, they remodeled an old Quonset at the Spirit Lake Ministry Center to provide a kitchen, showers, and meeting space for VIM teams. They realized that the space could also serve as a place to meet or worship. When it was initially renovated, the building was just given the bare necessities of electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. 

Since becoming a worship space, the leadership at The Journey realized that they needed to further update the space to enhance their ministry. The plan is to update the technology by installing two large screen TVs, a new sounds system, a new computer, lighting, and run fiber to the building for more reliable internet. These additions will provide for an enhanced worship service, the opportunity for greater community outreach, and allow The Journey to reach people who cannot attend in person. They would also like to remodel an old closet to provide a storage place for the children and youth supplies. Currently, these supplies are stored in the worship area and take up room that could be used for more seating. Finally, they need to lay gravel on their dirt parking lot. During the spring thaw and any time it rains, the parking lot is not useable because of the mud. They have noticed elderly congregants will not attend because of mud and the bus that picks people up gets stuck in the parking lot on many occasions. 

The Journey at Spirit Lake takes any chance they can to show the Spirit Lake Nation the love of Jesus. They feel called to share the Gospel with the Spirit Lake Nation while also honoring the Native American cultural heritage. 

We are so grateful for your continued support of the Builders Club and ask that you prayerfully consider a gift of $25 or more to support The Journey at Spirit Lake. The gifts for this call will be received until June 30, 2021. Send your gift to Builders Club, PO Box 460, Mitchell, SD 57301 or donate online.

De Smet UMC thanks you . . . . $9,800 granted!

We cannot begin to express our gratitude to the Builders Club. You are helping us make some major improvements to our church office and also our welcome/fellowship area. We believe that these improvements will be a wonderful resource to not only our church, but also our community as we can provide a welcoming and inviting place to gather and build relationships for many years to come. We look forward to seeing how God will continue to use De Smet UMC. Thank you once again

Learn more about Builders Club
Join Builders Club