(light music) - [Announcer] This is a production of South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

(upbeat music) - Hello and welcome to South Dakota Focus.

I'm Jackie Hendry.

The holiday season is a time for people from many faiths to gather and share traditions.

But church is changing in our state.

As younger generations leave more traditional organized religion, some churches are changing their format to appeal to new audiences.

Some are going beyond the traditional Sunday service, while others are leaning on tradition as a source of comfort in uncertain times.

But one aspect of church is the same: it's an opportunity for connection and community.

Tonight we'll visit Christian communities around the state to see what's changing, and what has stayed the same.

Now, some churches are trying to entice people back to Sunday services with bigger bands or more spectacular production value.

The mega-church has its place in American Christianity, but a newer movement is taking the opposite approach.

Imagine this: what if your church was small enough to meet at the kitchen table?

For a couple in Tea, that question inspired a whole new kind of Sunday service.

For Pastor Jared Dupert, small gatherings of faithful people look more like Christianity's earliest days.

That's part of what draws him.

- It's going back to really the biblical model when they went house to house.

In Acts chapter 2, they talk about, "And they gathered daily."

Most likely, they gathered at different people's houses and did community and life together.

It says they ate and they drank together.

In Luke Chapter 7, Jesus says, "Come, let us eat and drink," you know.

- [Jackie] Gathering for food and fellowship is the central vision of At the Table, It's a micro-church intended to be small enough to encourage personal connections between all its members.

- Conversation around the table, food at the table.

As I've explored the scriptures more, I've realized there's so much that happens around the table.

In fact, if you look up the word eat in like a Bible concordance or anything you want to look the words up in, it's mentioned over 600 times in the Bible, and so there's a lot of eating that takes place, especially in the Hebraic culture, also in that Mediterranean-Persian culture where a lot of this came from, there's a lot of eating and drinking that goes on around the table.

And so At the Table Church is literally doing life around the table together.

Talking through the scriptures, meeting people where they are.

- Dupert says there are more than 200 micro-churches around the country that have traded the traditional Sunday morning service for community service.

For example, there are beauty churches that give haircuts for the homeless, there are pub and food truck churches, and churches in people's homes.

The Foursquare International Church in California even mentors and funds people like the Duperts who want to start their own microchurch.

The first step is understanding how a personal passion can serve others.

And for Jared, the answer is obvious.

- [Jared Voiceover] I love food.

I love to cook.

So like cooking is my love language, and so bringing food to the table is like sharing part of who I am at the same time.

- [Jackie] He thinks of At the Table as a churcharaunt, part church, part restaurant.

The meal is served on Sunday evenings.

Sometimes there's a sermon, but most meetings include a prayer and the space for conversations and questions about faith and the Bible.

Dupert says when a meal brings people together, the conversation flows a bit more organically.

- We know that that's the kind of space that we want, not a formal professional restaurant environment, but a place where it feels like you've walked into the dive bar down the street and everybody knows each other.

- [Jackie] The Duperts's interior design business in Tea doesn't look like a dive bar, of course.

It's owned by Pastor Ashley Dupert, who also works as lead designer.

But the staging space with a working kitchen and multiple living room setups serves as a homey venue for a food-based ministry.

When I first interviewed Jared this fall, before At the Table launched, he hoped it would offer just enough space.

- I didn't do this to build something big.

We're doing this to grow in life with people, and so the challenge for me is kind of opposite for most church planters where they're trying to gather all these people, where I'm like, I hope they don't all come!

(laughs).

- [Jackie] But they did.

More than 50 people attended the mid-September launch, many of them friends from the Duperts's previous role as pastors at a church in Sioux Falls.

Any other organization would see that kind of turnout as a rousing success.

But by December, attendance was closer to what the Duperts originally had in mind.

Pastor Ashley Dupert says word-of-mouth is their main method of bringing people to the table.

- We're hanging out at the chamber events and hanging out at the local coffee shop and really getting to know the people in our area.

And that way, you know, the word kind of spreads between the people who are from the local area.

- [Jackie] At the Table is supported by Foursquare Church's fund for new microchurches, and by donations from members.

But contributions aren't required to get a meal.

Ashley says the food is a gift for the community.

Each week, Jared and other volunteers make the food fresh, and the menu is always different.

- So here we have a homemade alfredo sauce.

We have noodles up there.

This is a creamy pumpkin gorgonzola sage sauce.

- [Jackie] But the food isn't the only thing that keeps people coming.

Maddi Carrizales says At the Table is a different kind of church.

- But in the best way.

I grew up going to regular church, sitting in a pew every Sunday.

Not a whole lot of interaction.

Kind of in passing you would meet people and make shallow connections.

But here it's so much deeper and I love that it's a community.

Everybody cares and we dig into deep topics with each other and we have discussions and kind of learn from each other.

- [Jackie] The Duperts don't see themselves as a replacement for traditional Sunday-morning church.

Instead, Pastor Ashley sees micro-churches as a new way to bring people together.

- I think that in general the church of the future has to recognize that we can't keep doing church like we've always done it.

It's not working if you look at the statistics.

It's not working if you talk to young Americans who will be very adamant about the fact that they maybe either used to attend church and don't anymore, or never did to begin with.

Something has to give, something has to change.

And so I think that as long as we're aware of each other, I don't necessarily think that one is better than the other, or one that's gonna be more effective than the other.

'Cause the idea behind it is that we're looking for different types of people to reach.

At the Table's mission is gonna be different than maybe what a traditional church is, and that's okay.

But how can we help each other make sure that we're reaching the people that need to be reached?

I mean, that's really the point, right?

- The value of a church community often goes beyond a shared faith in a higher power.

Sometimes, the most comforting kind of community means being surrounded by people who have faith in you.

A group is working to build that community for young men with a residential program on a ranch in New Underwood, East of Rapid city.

I first learned about it through an email from a mom who never lost faith in her son.

Amy Painter of Rapid City spent years wondering if her son would survive the day.

RJ had a drug addiction and struggled to hold down a job and housing.

- We would get texts in the middle of the night, and we just never knew when we were gonna get that phone call saying that he killed himself, or somebody else had killed him.

The crowd that he was running with was a very bad crowd.

- [Jackie] Last year, RJ was stabbed three times and left bleeding outside where he fell.

Someone found him the next morning.

- The doctor had told us that he was very lucky.

I don't believe in luck.

I believe that it was God's intervention in his life.

They said, the doctor said that they didn't hit a main artery 'cause he would have bled out overnight.

And as much as it pains me as a mom to think, "Man, he was out there suffering all night, and I wasn't there for him," I knew that somebody else was there and watching over him.

- [Jackie] After the stabbing, RJ spent 30 days in a Rapid City hospital to address suicidal thoughts.

Then the hospital released him, telling his mom he didn't qualify for any other programs.

At 23 years old, RJ was out of options for additional support.

- I was told by an attorney at the State's attorney's office here in South Dakota that my son wasn't bad enough on one side, but he wasn't good enough over here.

He falls in the center where a lot of young men fall.

- [Jackie] Then a friend at church told Painter about Rockside Ranch in Etna, California.

It's a Christian non-profit intended to help young men restructure their lives.

It's not a drug or mental health treatment program, but a residential program for men who may have experienced those things in the past.

Over eight months, participants work on the ranch, study the Bible, and learn trade skills.

The small program works with around eight participants at a time.

Rockside also connects the men with job opportunities after their time on the ranch.

RJ Painter finished the program this summer.

In this video for Rockside, he admits it was an adjustment.

- At first, I really didn't like it, just talking to another man about my feelings.

It was weird.

But then I started realizing, like, this actually helps me.

I'm not bottling up my feelings.

I can actually talk to someone about anything that's on my mind.

And now, ever since I've been here, all my family's been talking to me.

My uncles think of me, that I can try and I won't quit when it gets hard.

Yeah, they're just happy for me, finally.

And I want to keep proving to them that I won't fall into drugs no more.

Just thinking sober is the best thing ever.

- [Jackie] RJ is now 24 years old.

He decided to stay in California, where Rockside connected him with a job.

He's one of seven young men from South Dakota who've completed the Rockside program.

Now, the ministry is launching a new location on a ranch near New Underwood, about 20 minutes east of Rapid City.

It's called Rockside Black Hills.

Rockside promotes itself as an option for young men between the ages of 18 and 35 who are in crisis.

Gordon Decker of Rapid City is a recruiter for potential clients and a mentor for the new location.

He explains what that means.

- When we say young men that are in crisis, it could be any kind of crisis.

They're just not being successful at the moment.

Could be addiction, it could be addiction to anything.

It could be drugs, alcohol.

It could be depression.

It could be just any kind of a situation that they're not flourishing in, and this might be a fit for 'em.

- [Jackie] The eight-month program costs $28,000, that's $8 per program hour.

Rockside's main funding source is donations.

And though the program has worked for some men from South Dakota, there were some people in the surrounding community who were leery about bringing troubled young men to the area.

- One of the concerns that they had was police response, if something was to happen that, you know, police were 45 minutes to an hour out.

- [Jackie] Mark Falcon is the site director for Rockside Black Hills.

- And what happened is we have a law enforcement host family, Matt Veal, who will be living on site in the area, so.

We have other people that are looking forward to being a part of the program, possibly living on the ranch, that are all CPR certified and provide that additional level of care to the community.

- [Jackie] .

That on site program director, Matt Veal, has nearly 30 years experience in law enforcement.

He now works part time with the Pennington County Sheriff's office and is also a pastor.

- Being in law enforcement and being a pastor, you see a lot of results of bad decisions, poor choices, people that are trapped in environments.

And nobody wants that for anybody.

And so, whatever we could do to help them get out of that should be done.

- [Jackie] Veall knows the Painter family, and is impressed by the difference Rockside Ranch made in RJ's life.

He sees the value in taking time away from distractions to work and live in a community that's centered on faith.

- Well, we see in Deuteronomy, God commands his people to impress his precepts, his teaching on to the younger generation at all times.

When they sit down, when they rise up, when they walk along the way.

Not in a Sunday service, not in a Wednesday night Bible study, but at all times.

While you're living life, while you're working a job, while you're living in community with the family.

- [Jackie] Veal and recruitment lead Gordon Decker think the rural setting can make all the difference for the young men who stay at Rockside Ranch.

- To see that environment set up so that they can just enjoy nature and enjoy work and be in camaraderie with other people that care about them, and care about each other, it's special.

You have to be intentional, but it's so valuable to create space where somebody can understand what it means to be a man and to live a healthy life.

- [Jackie] That's what happened for Amy Painter's son RJ.

She's now the development director for Rockside, which plans to welcome its first group of clients to the new Black Hills location in January.

Painter says her son is a changed man.

- And that's why I'm a part of Rockside.

Because I want to help other young men, but also, from a parent's point of view, I remember how it is.

It's so fresh in my mind to remember how it is to be a mom and be wondering, are you gonna have another day with your child, or is the drugs gonna take them, or is he gonna kill himself, or is he going to get killed?

And I want to be able to give other people hope.

- Hope is a common theme this time of year.

The traditions of Christmas transcend generations and geography.

They're rooted in language and culture as much as they are rooted in faith and family.

For the past 50 years, German speakers in Sioux Falls have come together each Christmas to celebrate in the language of their hearts.

SDPB's Lura Roti brings this story.

(group sings in foreign language) - I really enjoy bringing that German tradition to all the other Germans in Sioux Falls and surrounding areas.

It's not just people in Sioux Falls, but also surrounding areas are coming.

And it is nice to have it in German, it just evokes a feeling in you from your mother tongue or that tradition that you have been grown up with, that is really hard to do in English language.

I never thought it would be possible, because it's just a language, you would think it wouldn't matter, but it really does matter.

It gives you that really sentimental feeling of home and just for even one hour gives you that special feeling.

- [Lura] Stefanie Kagone grew up in Germany and came to Sioux Falls more than 15 years ago.

She serves on a committee of volunteers who organize the Annual German Christmas church service.

- It's because we don't have our families here, because we are so far away.

I think, personally, that's why it is very important, it gives you that feeling of home, feeling of family is there, even though maybe you don't know these people very well, but in that sense, in that church you all become family.

It feels like, oh yeah, this is Christmas, this is (indistinct) Singing the songs in German and hearing a sermon in German, it is very touching.

(Constanze speaks in foreign language) - [Lura] "Today, to you a Savior has been born," shares Constanze Hagmaier.

She's the Bisohop of the South Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Born and raised in Germany, Hagmaier first attended the German Christmas Service 30 years ago as a high school exchange student living with a host family in Brandon, South Dakota.

She gave the sermon during the 50th anniversary service.

- For many of us, when we celebrate Christmas there are all these memories that come flooding back.

And that's the same for me.

So there's this connection between my childhood growing up in Germany and now having my own children, and we are still singing "Silent Night."

(group sings in foreign language) - For me of course, it is my German heritage, that finds its unique place here.

Living in two worlds, I think that's true for anyone that lives and grows up with two cultures.

There aren't many who understand, even if we really try, there is a peace that opens up that people get who are of the same language.

- [Lura] A Christmas tree is at the center of a German tradition many celebrating at this service treasure.

It's tradition in many countries in Europe to wait until Christmas Eve to set up the Christmas tree.

It is decorated with real candles and it is a surprise to children.

At 85 Helga Szameit recalls her mother finding a way to create this tradition for her and her sister in the midst of World War II.

- Ah, it was beautiful.

Even when we were in the refugee camp and we had nothing, mother found a tree and put little stuff on it, and then she would open the window, we were out by the neighbors, mother would open the window and rang a bell and then she should say, "Oh, the Christ Child was here and brought the tree.

I just turned around and there it was."

- [Lura] After the war, the family emigrated to Sioux Falls in 1956.

Helga and her husband, Manfred, were among a group of German refugees who started the German Christmas Service.

- 50 years ago, my goodness.

Christmas is special.

We love the American songs, but you need something from home.

- [Lura] Helga's daughter Alexandra grew up attending the German Christmas service.

And today, Alexandra shares the tradition with her daughter, Rosalia.

- Friends and family and getting together, we still join in the fellowship hall and talk and see how everybody's doing and it's really good time.

- [Lura] Always held the second Sunday in December, in addition to music and sermon, German Christmas treats, sweet and savory, also play a role in this celebration.

For South Dakota Public Broadcasting, I'm Lura Roti.

(group sings in foreign language) - Traditions and shared experiences can create a strong sense of community.

Beyond the German Christmas service, immigrants from many countries continue to bring their culture, religion and language to their new homes in South Dakota throughout the year.

A growing Spanish-speaking congregation in Sioux Falls brings together immigrants from a handful of different countries to worship together.

The mission of the church is in its name: The Point is to Serve.

One of the ways it serves the city is with weekly Spanish-language worship services, led in part by Pastor Otto Garcia.

- I was born in Guatemala, Central America.

I came to the United States legally, June 3, 1977.

- [Jackie] He spent many years in California, then moved to Sioux Falls seven years ago.

Garcia became a chaplain with the Sioux Falls police department.

Then the department asked him to join the community ambassador program to build relationships with racial and other minority groups.

Pastor Otto has watched South Dakota's Hispanic community grow in recent years.

- When we came in 2015, you could see a Hispanic here or there, at Walmart or other places.

I mean, now, we're everywhere!

- The 2020 U.S. Census shows Hispanic and Latino residents make up 5% of the state's population.

That's up from about 3% a decade ago.

This year, the South Dakota Hispanic Chamber of Commerce launched in response to the number of entrepreneurs in this growing community.

Pastor Otto says the Spanish-speaking congregation at The Point is to Serve is made up of a few dozen people from about nine different countries.

Along with a common language, they share a common faith.

Jose Gonzalez and his family are from the U.S. territory Puerto Rico.

Gonzalez came to the States after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017.

For him, finding a church and ways to serve his community were critical steps in making a new home.

- When I came here, oh, I fell in love!

So beautiful!

I was grown up in the countryside.

I was a cowboy!

We had three horses.

I worked with cows and grow my own corn and veggies.

So when I got here, I saw this, this is my hometown!

And decided to stay.

Now, one thing was missing: church.

Because church is to serve.

- [Jackie] That was around the time Pastor Otto started partnering with The Point is to Serve to host services in Spanish.

(people speaking in foreign language) - [Jackie] Originally, though, the group operated under a different name.

- Central Christiano Sioux Falls.

In English, Sioux Falls Christian Center.

That was the name of the church before we came to The Point.

And after a few months, we noticed that they received us with love, we decided that we could not put a different name under the Point.

So we got invited, people love it.

So we adopted the name, El Punto Es Servir.

And thank God.

It's been a blessing not only for the community, but also to honor The Point is to Serve.

- [Jackie] Both Pastor Otto and Jose Gonzalez are fluent in English and work as interpreters for organizations in Sioux Falls.

For example, Pastor Otto is helping SDPB provide Spanish language material for its audience.

But worshiping in their first language helps them connect with others and their own faith, despite coming from many different countries and cultures.

- So to have a church in the city that will open their arms to you is good, because now people know that they can be in a congregation where they are accepted regardless of their nationality.

They come, they are loved, and they're accepted.

So that's what Christianity does for many of the countries in Latin America.

- [Jackie] Like Pastor Otto years ago, Jose Gonzalez is now training to become a chaplain with the Sioux Falls police department.

He's excited to find more ways to serve his community.

- We hope that the Hispanic community keep growing.

I have many things to give, and I'm trying to do my best for South Dakota.

- And as the Hispanic community grows, so do opportunities for them to worship together.

At the church's Thanksgiving service last month, Pastor Otto's congregation celebrated a member who is leaving to start another Spanish-language church in Brandon, just a few miles away.

Church means different things to different people.

It can mean a chance to connect with others, chance to serve others and, of course, a chance to worship together.

Church means community, even as communities change.

If you have a story of how your community is changing that you'd like to share, send us an email: [email protected].

You can also find me on Twitter @JackieHendrySD.

That's our show tonight, but we have some events to look forward to on the other side of the new year: SDPB is offering live coverage of the 2023 South Dakota Inaugural on Saturday, January 7th.

And we're live again from the capitol on Tuesday, January 10th at noon Central Time for Governor Noem's State of the State address.

The speech kicks off the 2023 legislative session.

Until then, we'll leave you with scenes from the capitol Christmas tree displays.

I'm Jackie Hendry, and on behalf of all of us at South Dakota Public Broadcasting, have a wonderful holiday season.

Happy New Year!

And thanks for watching.

(bright music) (bright music continues)