Zion Lutheran Church south of Hartford, SD. Taken in the fall of 2004.
Back in my college days, my route to and from Sioux Falls drove me south of Midland, SD on Highway 63. There is a place on that road that you can see a lone country church on a ridge about a mile away. I always loved that site. I'm not exactly sure why, but I think the scene spoke to my rural roots and heritage. Mix the vast expanse of South Dakota's West River Prairie with a symbol of the faith I was brought up in and it produced a sort of transcending and serene feeling. It's hard to describe really. There is something poetic about this symbol of religious community and gathering standing alone and upright in the midst of nature's immensity.
When I worked for KSFY's news department right out of college, I spent a good deal of time on the back roads of Minnehaha and surrounding counties. I noticed a lot of other picturesque country churches. I've always thought that someone should do a coffee table book on them. They make a great silhouette for South Dakota's colorful sunsets/sunrises, and I think many folks would feel a bit of reverence or maybe even peace seeing well done images of country churches no matter what they believe about God or the church in general. Maybe it's because the beauty of a lone church spire standing strong on the horizon brings to mind all that is good or should be good about the church in general. I could be wrong, but at least that is scratching the surface of how I feel.
I've been seeking out some of these scenes this month and plan on continuing to do so in the future. The image above was taken in 2004 when I first started getting into digital photography. I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to get back to finding and shooting rural churches, but I'm glad I have. One day I plan to get back to that church high on the ridge south of Midland and capture it's beauty against the backdrop of a good old-fashioned prairie thunderstorm. I can't imagine very many scenes more beautiful than that. As always, click on the image for a larger file to view and thanks for checking in.
Skresfrud Lutheran Church East of Viborg, SD
The clouds turned red later that same evening.
Immanual Lutheran Church, south of Canova, SD
St. Peter Lutheran Church midway between Madison and Montrose, SD
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