UPHAM—They are landmarks on the prairie, symbols of the beating heart of rural North Dakota. Some have disappeared. Others have been abandoned yet reverently cared for. Sometimes the ringing of their bell is the only sound, a reassuring sound, in remote regions of our state.
An example is Bethlehem Lutheran Church. It is located on the Forfar road, or 80th Street Northwest, 17 miles east of U.S. Highway 83 and 10 miles west of here. The church had its beginnings in early-day North Dakota and continues to serve area parishioners today.
“The current building is 71 years old. It replaced an early church at the same physical location."Pastor Daryl Rothchild
“The current building is 71 years old. It replaced an early church at the same physical location,” said Pastor Daryl Rothchild. “The former Bethlehem Lutheran was on the yard of a member. His parents lived there.”
Rothchild, a former Minoter, moved into the pulpit at Bethlehem Lutheran and Faith Lutheran in Towner in 1999. Presently he serves three churches – Bethlehem Lutheran, Faith Lutheran, and Zion Lutheran in Kramer, which he added in 2006. He also conducts services in the summer months at St. John near Newburg, which is part of the Bethlehem parish.
“My mother’s home is not far from Bethlehem Lutheran. It’s my mother’s home congregation, where she grew up,” said Rothchild. “My grandparents are in the cemetery here.”
Bethlehem Lutheran is spacious in comparison to most rural churches. Rothchild gives credit to church members who were committed to making sure the rural worship facility didn’t fade away.
"We were able to build without long-term debt. Our members have been very generous.” Pastor Rothchild
“Over the years, like any rural congregation, we’ve had people that have stayed and moved away,” remarked Rothchild. “But even those that moved away still had a connection to the congregation. We were able to build without long-term debt. Our members have been very generous.”
Along with weddings and such, Rothchild conducts a regular Sunday service at Bethlehem at 11 a.m. That follows services he conducts in Towner at 8 a.m. and Kramer at 9:30 a.m., making him a pastor on the move.
“It’s not a problem if the roads are not bad,” said Rothchild, noting traveling in rural North Dakota during the winter has it challenges. “I usually get from place to place, but sometimes we start a minute or two late.”
Rothchild has Christmas Eve services in Towner at 1 p.m., Bethlehem at 3 p.m., and Kramer at 4:30. The times are agreeable to his parishioners.
“That's the wonderful thing about serving country congregations. It’s flexibility.” Pastor Rothchild
“That's the wonderful thing about serving country congregations. It’s flexibility,” said Rothchild.
Bethlehem has averaged about 50 people per service this year. In 2020 that number slipped to less than 40, mostly due to concerns over COVID-19. Like many churches did during the pandemic, Bethlehem went to livestreaming of services on Facebook.
“It’s really meant to be a supplement, not a substitute,” explained Rothchild. “Still, there are people that are shut in who can watch services. Also, there’s congregations I served in the past that listen in every now and then. That's kind of neat.”
Rothchild said when live services resumed following the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, it showed how much people missed each other’s company. Additionally, the support for rural worship remained.
“A preacher can preach, but if nobody shows up, it’s kind of hard to preach,” remarked Rothchild. “At Bethlehem all the members decide to be there and do what’s necessary to have services and the like.”
