By Jon Zirkle
Sermon on the Mount Mennonite Church is a small Mennonite congregation in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 1997 they were recipients of Mennonite Men’s JoinHands grant which helped them leverage the purchase of the building where they do ministry. The building itself is located on the top of a hill in a lower-income and diverse neighborhood on the east side of town. And though recent Sunday morning attendance is rather small, their impact in the neighborhood and wider community is large. Praise be to God.
I had the pleasure of speaking by phone to two different members of the congregation recently to hear more about Sermon on the Mount’s history and ongoing ministries. Sherri Donaldson was the first person from the congregation I spoke with.
“I started coming back in 1997. It’s been almost 30 years,” she mentioned.
Donaldson lives just a block from the church. She is the leader of their food giveaway ministry on Tuesday evenings.
“That’s my baby,” shared Donaldson. “We serve about 125 people per week. A nonprofit called Bread Break started by another local church helps bring food to Sermon on the Mount. Each Monday we get donations from places like Panera Bread, Little Caesars Pizza, Pomegranate Market, and Crumbl Cookies. On Tuesday mornings we get cupcakes and donations from Starbucks, too. Then our volunteers help package the food. Food giveaway happens Tuesday evenings. Unlike some nearby food pantries, we have no restrictions and are open every week. There are lots of regulars who come. We are listed on websites like 211, Pay It Forward, etc. Sermon on the Mount folks also can take home leftovers on Sundays.”
Through our conversation I learned how this food ministry developed six years ago, starting when the COVID19 pandemic set in. An afterschool program with the elementary school across the street wouldn’t allow activities in the building after school hours. Sermon on the Mount offered space, so for two winters the program used the church building instead. After a few years, the school district resumed hosting programming back in school buildings, but food giveaways at the church continued.
I also spoke with Cheryl Lehmann, one of three ‘shepherds’ of the congregation who share leadership. Sermon on the Mount hasn’t had a pastor since 2018. Lehmann has been part of the congregation since 1982. I was moved to hear her describe the way their congregation and use of the building has evolved over the years.
“After COVID local people came by and expressed interest in renting space. A couple in the neighborhood wanted to start a new fellowship and asked to use the building. They are using the space on Friday nights and on Sunday evenings. We were also approached by a Liberian congregation, and they now use our building on Sundays from 1-3pm. Then a man who used to pastor a Spanish church and knew about us, said to others in his circles, ‘We’ve got to go to Sermon on the Mount!’ They now use our building on Wednesdays from 6:30-9pm and on Saturdays from 6-9pm. We have use of our space on Sundays from 8am – 1 pm for worship, Mondays and Tuesdays for the food giveaway, and we keep Thursdays open for ourselves. On Saturdays during the day and any other open time, we rent the space out to folks in the community. If they’re a community member or group, we just ask that they give a donation. We do have individual contracts that building renters sign.”
Photo by Chery Lehmann
Lehmann also noted that “It’s a blessing that our building is now paid off. We originally chose our location because it was affordable, it was a place where we could do outreach and we are across from a neighborhood school. The three congregations who now rent from us could not find a better deal in town. Because we don’t have a pastor, we have some extra money where we can help others.
For example, we hire a Native American family who helps mow and do lawncare for us. We receive requests for emergency needs. We also work with Everence and their matching grants to help others in the community. Not long ago a man approached us who wanted to buy some land we own at the bottom of the hill. We gave money from the sale to the Yankton Sioux Tribe which is the native group that lived on the land where the church is located.”
“Your grant gave us a start. And God has been taking care of us,” Lehmann added.
Sermon on the Mount Mennonite Church continues to evolve and follow God’s lead. During the pandemic the church started offering online ways for folks to join. Lehmann shared that, “Offering an online option each week brought us together as a congregation. We have better attendance because of that option. If someone is out of town or sick they can still participate. Our church meetings are also online. We don’t record services.”
We invite you to pray for Sermon on the Mount Mennonite Church, a congregation of Central Plains conference. You are welcome to visit any time you are in Sioux Falls. You can contact Sherri at donaldsonsherri62@gmail.com and Cheryl at cheryllehmann767@gmail.com. The congregation welcomes donations for their food giveaway program. As Sherri Donaldson mentioned, “We end up purchasing lots of produce bags and Ziplock bags.”
Mennonite Men also invites your prayers and financial contributions to our JoinHands ministry. New board members and JoinHands committee participation are also needed. We want to see this ministry continue to thrive and bless others, reflecting God’s shalom. Visit our website to learn more, or e-mail me at JonZ@MennoniteMen.org.