BINFORD, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Thomas Anderson, a music teacher at Minkota Public Schools and part-time music professor at the University of North Dakota, recently purchased the West Prairie Lutheran Church in Binford to save it from potential vandalism and demolition.

The church, which dates back to 1885, had sat vacant and vulnerable before Anderson stepped in. For Anderson, the decision was both practical and personal.

“As a musician, there’s no better place to play than a church: the high ceilings, the resonance,” Anderson said. “So this was my thought when I learned the church was retiring, that I thought I should check and see what they’re going to do with it, because that would make an amazing music space.”

After inquiring about the property and receiving the blessing of those in the area, Anderson had the more than 140-year-old structure moved just down the road to its new home.

“It’s certainly not a common opportunity,” he said. “There are quite a few of these, but maybe not all in such a condition that they could be saved, restored, though it just seemed serendipitous that this is only a couple of miles away.”

The logistics were no small feat. Anderson had to work through questions of feasibility, cost, foundation work, and the physical move itself.

“It took quite a few inquiries: one, is it ok? Then there’s also, of course, all the logistics, foundation, moving. All of those things are huge. But it’s come together; it’s in my yard now.”

Anderson says the financial investment was worth it for what the building represents.

“I mean, I could with far much less expense put up a corrugated shed in the same spot, but it would not have the same history or meaning and in my eyes potential. This is really a beautiful thing.”

The restoration will be extensive. Anderson plans to first strip the interior down to the studs before tackling longer-term upgrades.

“Making some modern comforts. My first goal is to clean down to the bones, to the studs. And then long-term, looking at HVAC, electricity, lighting, windows, and later on installation and finishing.”

He also has plans to expand the footprint slightly, without touching the original sanctuary.

“My long-term goal involves also in the front here; you’ll see the foundation extends beyond the steeple. The idea being we can add on a half bathroom and some kind of a kitchen but without changing the inside the sanctuary itself. We can preserve the size and feel and look of the original sanctuary itself.”

Anderson acknowledges the project will take time, doing much of the work himself alongside a neighbor.

“This is mostly going to be the work of myself and one of my neighbors to do the rest of this. Given the number of commitments I have music-wise, and otherwise, time during the school year it gets limited. So I’m anxious to work on it, but I want to be realistic about a timeline as well, and more than anything I want to do it well.”

For longtime community members like Donna Ronningen of Binford, the restoration carries deep personal meaning. Ronningen went to West Prairie Lutheran Church with her family and recalls its storied past.

“This church was one time struck by lightning on the steeple and survived. It was twisted in a windstorm and survived,” Ronningen said.

She said she is relieved to see the building in good hands.

“I’m just joyed, overjoyed, that it’s going to be enclosed and safe and cared for, and it’s just down the road from where it’s been all its life.”

Ronningen also shared a piece of the church’s history, noting that in February of 1896, community members voted to move forward with construction, as long as the cost didn’t exceed $1,000.

“I became a member, and we raised our five children by going to this church. So that’s real important, the closeknitness of it, and the togetherness of it we felt with others, neighbors, and families, and of course that we had a place, a good place to worship God.”

Even Anderson’s students are taking notice. Minkota High School senior Hailey Donohue said the project caught her off guard.

“That Church? The big one? It’s just kind of surreal that it’s actually happening,” Donohue said.

Anderson’s ultimate vision is to use the space for live music, and to bring people together the same way the church once did. He says the alternative, losing the building altogether, was never something he was willing to accept.

“I was worried that maybe vandalism or there might just have to be the decision that rather the upkeep is not feasible, that it might just be better to eliminate the building altogether. But this gives it a purpose, a new life, and it can go for another hundred-something years at least is my hope.”

For Anderson, that purpose is rooted in something he has built his entire life around.

“All of this is happening because of music. For me that’s my profession, that’s my hobby, that’s my life. So this is only happening because I have a vision for this, for music to be played here, but music also brings people together in the similar way that a church congregation might.”