Rebuilding stability: destroyed Cape Girardeau church may begin reconstruction this year

Plans to rebuild the Cape Girardeau Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) are likely to be finalized by late summer or early fall of this year, according to stake president of the Latter-day Saints, Kevin Dickson.

Dickson emphasized the prediction is his "hope," not an executive decision.

"Decisions are made at church headquarters, in Salt Lake City, Utah. So, my opinion is only that -- an opinion. These aren't my choices to make. I make recommendations," Dickson said Monday.

The Cape Girardeau church was destroyed by fire April 18, 2021. Afterward, a homeless man, Scott Pritchard, was apprehended by deputies of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office. Pritchard now faces hate crime charges connected to the blaze.

"There was a witness at the fire who provided a description of a suspicious person leaving the scene. One of our responding deputies located him walking down the road during the same timeframe that the fire was happening, just a short distance away. He was known to law enforcement and had been trespassed prior due to threats made against church members," recalled Sgt. Cody Windbigler of Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office.

In the wake of the blaze, Dickson's post as "stake president" thrust him into the limelight. The job, done without compensation, is referred to as a "lay position" by members of the church.

Firefighters from all over the area fight to contain a fire April 18, 2021, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church, 1048 W. Cape Rock Drive in Cape Girardeau.Southeast Missourian file

"The 'stake' is somewhat like the Catholic diocese," Dickson explained. "It refers to multiple congregations, so our 'stake' covers Southeast Missouri and portions of Southern Illinois. ... My responsibility is to work with the leaders in the congregations within the stake, to provide training and teaching and support."

After the fire, those duties led to urgent responsibilities.

"The initial feeling was one of great relief that no one was hurt, and a recognition that the church is not the building, the church is the congregation -- the people. Then, after a loss like that, you have to say, 'What next? How do you make sure that the church, made up of these people, has their needs met?'"

Dickson said his immediate task was to find a temporary home for the churchgoers.

"Currently, the congregation is meeting at 1732 N. Kingshighway, we're leasing that space. As far as reconstruction, we're looking for a site and, once we have one, we can begin (reconstruction)," he explained.

Dickson said it is possible the church will not be rebuilt at its original location.

"When you put a church building down, you want to put it down for decades. The one we were in, we were in about 50 years and so, with a complete loss of the structure, it seemed like a smart time to say, 'Is that the location we want or is there another?'" Dickson said, adding no final decision has been made.

Although Dickson clarified the church might be rebuilt at its previous location, he detailed significant efforts to find a new one.

Dickson reported a "local agent" had been hired to determine which sites would "make sense" for a new locale.

He continued that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had its share of hardships in the past. Dickson described the immediate reaction of the church's congregation in the wake of the blaze.

Only an open field remains at the original site of Cape Girardeau's Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1048 W. Cape Rock Drive. A fire destroyed the facility last year.Courtesy of Kevin Dickson

"Different members responded differently, as would be the case in any congregation. Some had been attending since the building was built, about 50 years ago. Others were very new. The main thing we provided right away was a location to meet in, and so for the first several weeks we rented portions of the Osage Centre," Dickson recalled.

"At one point, I did share with (the congregation) the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Missouri. There was, at one point, an 'extermination order' signed by Gov. Boggs, back in the 1800s. (It) drove all the members of the church out of the state. So, there have been different times that members of the church have been without a location. (The fire) wasn't the first time that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have not had a formal place to meet."

Dickson then harkened back to the Old Testament, to the trials of Israelites who wandered in the wilderness, "place to place, without a permanent home." Still, he said, there is a hope that new construction will rebuild a sense of stability for members of his church.