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Metigoshe Ministries is expanding

ELCA churches offer strong support for Lake Metigoshe addition

Submitted Photo An aerial view of the existing Metigoshe Ministries Lakeside Christian Center.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held last month for a new addition at Metigoshe Ministries’ Lakeside Christian Center, a project that has been years in the planning.

“For the past number of years, our retreat ministry has been steadily growing,” said Rev. Jon Halvorson, executive director at Metigoshe Ministries. “Especially for the large group spaces, we’ve run out of room over a six month period … A couple of years ago, we had to turn away over 800 overnight guests because of a lack of space.”

Halvorson said this project is the final piece in its extended capital campaign. Thus far, the campaign has raised about $3.9 million in gifts and pledges and Metigoshe Ministries still has about $1.5 million to go.

Individual donations have funded the larger part of the improvements and volunteer hours have saved the project up to $150,000.

Metigoshe Ministries is owned by about 74 Lutheran churches in the area. Members gave approval in November 2015 to launch the capital campaign to improve a site that has been in strong demand that is growing from year to year. Lutherans wanted to “Ensure the Adventure” from generation to generation.

The site hosts different types of retreats throughout the year, including church groups, church council leadership groups, youth groups, faith building retreats, a father-child retreat called “Hammering Out Faith With Dad” where kids and dads come up for a weekend and do fun activities while building on faith, and up to eight quilting retreats each year. Other businesses, church groups and schools also rent the space for their own activities and many families rent space there each summer for family reunions.

Halvorson said the addition will include six additional new sleeping rooms, bringing the total number of sleeping rooms to 20 rooms.

Each of the rooms in the Lakeside Christian Center has a special theme.

Halvorson said there is a Scandinavian room, a Turtle Mountain room, a nautical room with a sailing theme, a Victorian-themed room, and a Lake Metigoshe room, among other themes.

Also included in the new addition will be large group and retreat conference rooms. One of the rooms will have a movable wall which will enable Metigoshe Ministries to divide a room into two based on the size of a group.

Metigoshe Ministries also plans to relocate its Faith Memorial Chapel into a centerpiece worship space at the new addition.

Halvorson said the ground for the new addition has been prepared but most of the work will probably not begin until next spring after the spring thaw. The completion of the addition will depend on the availability of volunteers with the ELCA mission. Some of the volunteers are currently working on an addition for Bread of Life Lutheran Church in Minot, said Halvorson.

Other phases in Metigoshe Ministries included the addition of eight new cabins – each with two cabins under one roof – and a new retreat house at its camp site that has six sleeping rooms.

There has been a lot of enthusiasm from people about the improvements to Metigoshe Ministries.

“We’re excited,” said Halvorson. “We’ve had just incredibly strong, great support from individuals.”

Metigoshe Ministries is located at 165 Lake Loop Road East in the southeast corner of Lake Metigoshe near Bottineau.

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