Herald Photo by Eric Hylden The Fort Pembina Historical Society is hoping to restore and raise the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Pembina, N.D. in the next two years, in time for John and Mary Bordeniuk's 60 anniversary. They are the last surviving members in the area of the historic church.

HISTORY: Restoration and renewal
Group to restore Ukrainian Church

By Rona K. Johnson
Herald Staff Writer

Sunday, October 6, 2002 - PEMBINA, N.D. - John and Mary (Layhon) Bordeniuk wed on Oct. 22, 1944, in St. John's Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Pembina.

In 2004, on their 60th wedding anniversary, they plan to renew their wedding vows in that same church. But before the renewal, some restoration must be done to the church.

The Fort Pembina Historical Society is collecting dirt and donations to raise the church to the level of the city's dikes and to restore it, said Melissa Grafe, site supervisor for the Pembina State Museum and also a member of the Fort Pembina Historical Society.

The church was turned over to the historical society in 1987 and was heavily damaged in the 1997 flood.

The church holds a lot of memories for the Bordeniuks, who are the only surviving members in Pembina.

Mary remembers when her parents brought wood and kindling to the church to start the stove before services.

"My father brought the wood in a sleigh, and my mother would carry the kindling in a sack," Mary said. Both Mary and John's parents immigrated to Pembina from the Ukraine.

A rich history

The church is an important link to the past for the Icelandic and Ukrainian people of the area.

The church was built by Icelandic settlers in 1885 and housed the Icelandic Lutherans, Grafe said.

It is the second oldest Icelandic church in North America; the oldest is in Mountain, N.D. When the Icelandic population dwindled, it became difficult to keep the church running, and in 1937, the church and 1? lots were sold to the St. John's Ukrainian Orthodox Church congregation for $450, Grafe said.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church was organized in 1927, and services were first held at member's houses and on their lawns, Mary said. In 1933, until they moved into the Icelandic Lutheran Church, they rented the Methodist church in town.

"We started with 11 families, and at one time there were 30 families," Mary said.

Dealing with floods

In 1948, the church was flooded and again in 1950, Mary said. After both floods, the congregation cleaned and repaired the church.

In 1956, the onion-shaped Byzantine dome was erected.

Then in 1987, with only five members remaining, St. John's Ukrainian Orthodox Church disbanded.

The Bordeniuks and the rest of the congregation now attend church services in Canada.

In the early 1990s, the church was given to the Fort Pembina Historical Society.

Then in 1997, the church was flooded again.

"It was a beautiful little church before the flood," Mary said. At one time, all the benches would be full when we had our services."

John Bordeniuk and his son Ronald managed to get to the church before the floodwaters and saved almost everything in it. They raised the original altar up on concrete blocks. Only the very bottom of it was touched by water.

The altar is still standing on blocks; the pews, which were attached to the walls, are lying askew, and the floors and walls, inside and out, need attention.

"I had broken my foot and couldn't get to the church right away," Mary said. "When John brought me there, I sat there and bawled. I thought it was terrible. We were married there, and all of our kids were baptized there."

The Bordeniuks also had flooding of their own to deal with, as 56 inches of water filled the basement of their home a mile west of Pembina.

A reason to celebrate

The Bordeniuks are excited that the church will be restored.

"Our goal is to have it ready in two years so they can renew their wedding vows for their 60th wedding anniversary," Grafe said.

The Pembina State Museum is also planning a display of items from churches in the region, including the Ukrainian church, Grafe said.

To raise the building without donations of dirt will cost the historical society $23,000, and they will probably need about $17,000 to do the restoration work, she said.

Donations can be sent to the Fort Pembina Historical Society in care of the Pembina State Museum, Box 456, Pembina ND 58271. The donations should indicate that the money is for the church restoration. If the fund-raising is successful, work on the church will begin in the spring.

For information, contact Grafe or Gerry Baldock, president of the Fort Pembina Historical Society, at (701) 825-6840.

Reach Johnson at (701) 780-1229, (800) 477-6572, extension 229, or rjohnson@gfherald.com.

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