Breck Memorial Mission, Ponsford

Breck Memorial Mission is located in Ponsford Minnesota, on the White Earth reservation. After many years of use, the Guild Hall at Breck Memorial had to be torn down due to a nasty infestation of black mold. This loss has kept the community from gathering for worship in the winter, hosting events, while maintaining and building vital connections with their neighbors. Senior Warden Butch Smith is working with the Mission Developer, Mark Olson, who is serving White Earth faith communities, and together they wondered if it was possible not just to rebuild that building for the church’s use, but to rebuild a Pine Point/Ponsford Gathering Space? With Butch’s help, Mark came up with an idea. This spring Mark and Mike Swan, a traditional Ojibwe spiritual leader, and the chair of the Pine Point Community Council, submitted a project proposal to the University of Minnesota, entitled Pine Point Gathering Space. We were awarded a $12,000 grant to hold a series of community meetings, come up with ideas from the community—for the community, and then work with a graduate student from the University of Minnesota to put together blueprints, a business plan, and then launch that new ministry in Pine Point. 

Breck’s Senior Warden, Butch Smith, and Mark have been meeting with Mike Swan and a team from the University of Minnesota to plan a community gathering on August 27. The Pine Point Community Council has unanimously supported the event and is listed as a co-sponsor along with the U of M. We are still in the beginning phases of this project, but we’re excited for all the community benefit it has the potential to generate!