Church displaced by fire finds temporary home thanks to neighbor

Members of St. Michael’s Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church may never know what caused the fire that destroyed their building March 6, but they are moving forward slowly into the future.

Fire Marshal Dean Lanier with Sioux Falls Fire Rescue said the fire’s cause has been classified as undetermined with no definite answer. Generally, a fire’s cause receives that classification when there is insufficient physical evidence or testimony to tie it to a single cause.

“However, it does not mean everything is closed up and we’re done with it,” Lanier said. “If there is testimony or additional information we didn’t know, we’d certainly take a look at it and evaluate it in regards to that.”

If there are multiple items in the area of a fire’s origin that could have caused it, “we cannot use the scientific process and identify one single source,” he said.

A news release issued by Sioux Falls Fire Rescue after the fire included a caution to ensure candles are placed a safe distance from combustible materials and to not leave burning candles unattended. Lanier said that information was included as a general observance, not a direct correlation in relationship to the fire’s cause.

The building that burned was constructed in the early 1930s on Dakota Avenue south of 14th Street. Over the years, it has been used by several congregations and as a dance studio. St. Michael’s Orthodox Ethiopian Tewahedo Church moved into the building 18 years ago.

The congregation drew about 100 people to Sunday services, with about 200 members total. On March 6, the congregation had concluded services, and members were gathered for fellowship in the basement when the fire began. Everyone evacuated quickly, leaving filled Styrofoam cups of coffee and bread on the tables. No one was injured.

St. Michael’s members met again in a church building last weekend, this time using the chapel at nearby First United Methodist Church at 12th Street and Spring Avenue. That congregation, which recently celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding in Sioux Falls, reached out to Solomon Genremariam, St. Michael’s pastor, and its members with the offer of space.

“They are a neighboring downtown church, and we wanted to see how we might help them,” said the Rev. Sara Nelson, First United Methodist’s senior pastor. “For us, it just really seemed like the right thing to do to be a good neighbor. We’re just so glad they can worship with us, and we know it’ll be a blessing for us as well just to make new friends and be in ministry together.”

First Methodist currently does not use its chapel during its Sunday morning services; it seats 75 to 100 people.

Nelson was present Sunday when St. Michael’s members began assembling. She described the atmosphere as joyful. “They had lots of smiles,” she said.

St. Michael’s member Daniel Wendemu agreed that atmosphere was markedly different from the days after the fire when the congregation wept as they surveyed the damage.

“Most church members are very happy, and the church leaders are very happy,” he said, although psychologically they remain scarred by the loss of the building in which they had spent so many hours and felt such pride.

The congregation will return to their church property after services at First United Methodist for their weekly time of fellowship, Wendemu said. The church’s two-stall garage will shelter that gathering. And they will continue to wait for their insurance company to decide on the building’s future.

Fire marshals assess damage but do not determine whether a building can be rehabbed and renovated, Lanier said. The congregation is waiting for its insurance company to come to that decision, Wendemu said.

While First United Methodist was the only entity to offer space, many others have offered financial contributions, including other pastors and residents of the All Saint’s neighborhood. A GoFundMe campaign started by members of St. Michael’s choir has raised a little more than $55,000 of the $200,000 goal.

All worship materials were destroyed in the fire, Wendemu said.