Showing off the bananas from the 2023 BYOB event in Milnor, N.D. Photos from Facebook.

For the past six summers, Milnor United Methodist Church has invited people to "Bring Your Own Banana" for fun and fellowship. Participants bring bananas and gather at The Keg, an ice cream shop named after root beer kegs. 

"Pastor Mike Ward was serving at the Milnor, Wyndmere, and Sheldon churches and he suggested that we gather together in the park for fellowship," said Kristine Askerooth, a member of Milnor UMC.

The gathering is a chance to be in fellowship with others. 

"It is a chance to get together and have some fun before fall schedules are in full swing," said Pastor Tiana Bohn, who serves a Milnor UMC. They played off the name [The Keg] to create BYOB—Bring Your Own Banana." 

Askerooth is a key organizer for BYOB and other church gatherings. "It is a low cost event that is a lot of fun," she said.

At this year's BYOB, three competitions featured an Olympic theme. Teams competed in banana bowling, using their banana to knock down pins—six water bottles; banana basketball, trying to make a basket in a five-gallon bucket with your banana (view video); and the banana 50-yard dash, racing with your banana on your head.  View a video of Pastor Tiana in the banana 50-yard race and one of her competitors. Winners of the competitions received a prize.  

Pastor Tiana shared, "You would not believe how hard it is to make a basket in a bucket with a banana!" 

There were prizes for the greenest banana, the banana with the most brown spots, the longest banana, and the banana with an image on the peel. In past years, participants used markers to draw pictures on the peels of their bananas, competed to see who had the widest banana, and the best yellow color. Prizes were small items like chocolates, candy bars, or Tic Tacs. 

BYOB is in Freedom Park, next to the ice cream shop. It includes a time of prayer, especially for children heading back to school. At the end, everyone heads over to The Keg for an ice cream treat. 

"There are 'untossed' bananas to use for banana splits. There is caramel, cherries, whipped cream, and other toppings. We celebrate with a little dessert and have a blessing," Pastor Tiana said. "It is a chance to enjoy a nice evening on the prairie." 

The fun-filled event marks the end of summer. On Thursdays during the summer, the United Methodist Church in Milnor, North Dakota, holds worship.  

"We are a small congregation. Several members travel to the lake or to see family on the weekend. So, we hold our weekly worship service on Thursdays," said Pastor Tiana Bohn.  

Students select school supplies from Milnor UMC at school registration.

Mission and outreach 

Milnor, N.D., has a population of 600. The community has three churches and a public school. Several people work at the Bobcat manufacturing facility in nearby Gwinner, N.D., and others are engaged in agriculture.  

"Each month we pick a mission and give or serve that project," said Kristine. "We have done projects with the Humane Society, local veternarians, and the food pantry. We started a pollinator garden. People are just so generous with thier time, gifts, and money."

The congregation reports an average of 7-15 people in worship each week. The limited numbers create an opportunity to utilize a unique model for administrative and pastoral leadership. 

"We have seen some transition of about six or seven key members move to places where children are or a family home that is not in the community.  A pair of snowbirds go to Arizona in the winter," said Tiana. "We try to focus on what our identity is. We see ourselves as the outreach church. This month, we collected school supplies for kids returning to school. We are small but mighty."

A list of needed school supplies is created with the advice of the school librarian and a schoolteacher connected to the congregation. This month, an eight-foot table full of school supplies was made available to students at Milnor Public School. During the two-day registration period at the school, students can pick out the supplies they need. 

The congregation provides graduation baskets for high school seniors. The baskets contain personal care products, hangers, laundry detergent, and other helpful items.  

Rural ministry model 

The Keg in Milnor, North Dakota.

Once a month, Pastor Tiana travels 84 miles round trip from her home in Wahpeton, North Dakota, to Milnor to lead worship in person. The other weeks, she leads an online service on Facebook. 

"The format works well. People can view the worship service at worship time, or they can watch it another time," Pastor Tiana said. 

Even when the service is online people gather at the church to view the worship service. "It is not just about the worship service. We like to gather at the church and view the service together. We  view on a big screen TV and then spend time in fellowship after the service. It is all about being a community together," Kristine said. 

Finances are managed by a local accountant, who also handles the finances for another church in town. She provides monthly reports for review.  

A single board structure is set up to serve as trustees, pastor-parish relations committee, and the finance committee.  

"Because our congregation is so small, the single board structure works well. Pretty much everyone in the congregation is part of the decisions," explained Pastor Tiana. "We typically meet on Sunday after worship service to discuss things. We all pitch in." 

The congregation cares for a church building and parsonage. The parsonage is rented to a couple who are church members. Two board members are designated as trustees. 

"The parsonage is about 40 years year old. So, the trustees have been addressing new flooring, siding, and water damage issues. Things are being taken of," Pastor Tiana said.  

There is a cell phone number that connects people to Pastor Tiana. The number is shared on social media and other places as a way to contact the church for pastoral care.  

A newsletter is distributed every other month. It includes the worship schedule, community events, mission projects, and a short article from Pastor Tiana. Milnor UMC's Facebook page is a communication tool for reminders and announcements. 

Prayer concerns are shared via text and e-mail. If there is an emergency or need for pastoral care that Pastor Tiana cannot attend to, there are individuals who respond.  

Milnor UMC.

Milnor UMC remains an active beacon of hope.  The Sheldon and Wyndmere congregations have closed. Kristine  serves as a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Forest Service at Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge. She lives on a farm, with her husband Doug in the southeast corner of North Dakota.  After the church they attended, Wyndmere UMC closed, they are grateful to be part of Milnor UMC.

"I don't think that we could find another church that would be so easy going and willing to try different things. There is a real desire to continue together. These people are making a difference in the community and to each other. They care," said Kristine. "We are fortunate."

Servant hearts are the center of the ministry at Milnor UMC shares Pastor Tiana Bohn. "These people speak to my servant's heart. I am huge on hospitality. I have a background in hospitality, being a waitress, and working on a dairy farm. I love serving people and sharing meals with people—doing things people with people, not for them; the congregation at Milnor shares that vision. It has been cool to work with people who want to care for their friends and neighbors in a similar way." 

Resources: 
Dakotas Connection Initiative: A five-year grant from the Lilly Endowment, this Initiative will address the challenges and opportunities experienced in our rural churches and communities. DCI provides grant dollars to support innovative projects that champion the values of sharing resources, raising up local leadership, creative partnerships, and strategic use of technology for better use of ministry resources with other churches. 

Bishop Plambeck’s back-to-school message: As a new school year begins, Bishop Lanette Plambeck shares a pastoral letter, urging Dakotas and Minnesota United Methodists to actively engage in the education and formation of children in our communities and suggesting some ways in which to do that. "This is an opportunity to extend our reach beyond the walls of our sanctuaries, to connect with local schools, neighborhoods, and families in meaningful and transformative ways," said Bishop Plambeck. 

Back to church and school resources: Discover resources for children, youth, and adults as they gear up for the new school year and return to church. Whether you're seeking motivation, spiritual encouragement, engaging liturgy, heartfelt prayers, or inspiring reads, everything you need to start this season refreshed and prepared is right here!