Church steeple once again points to heaven

INTO THE BLUE – After being taken down for major reconstruction work, the Little White Church steeple was finally put back in its rightful place on Jan. 5 when D&W Crane was hired to hoist it to the top of the church. Now with a four-foot by six-foot aluminum cross on the top, the steeple and the cross reflect the sunlight all day long, according to Buzz Grover, supervisor for the church building project. [Submitted Photo]

By Carol Walker

For 122 years the steeple on the Little White Church has been pointing toward heaven, and after several weeks of repair and reconstruction, it is again resting in its rightful place atop the church.
Buzz Grover, supervisor for the church building project, said he is hopeful the revamping done on the steeple will stand the test of time. The original church and steeple were built in 1889 under the direction of Joe Hare, lead carpenter for the project. It was time to give the steeple some needed TLC.
“We replaced so many rotten boards and recut all the windows. The bell tower had only two openings, but originally there were four openings, so we brought it back to its original look. We put weather guard under the tin so the wood is now sealed against the moisture,” said Grover.
Louvers were installed on the windows to keep out the weather and screen was put in behind the louvers to keep the birds from the belfry. According to Grover, a new bell platform in the steeple structurally ties the steeple together.
Grover credits Darren Sandven and Garold Fowler with much of the work done on the structure. Sandven figures he worked for about a week and a half, most of the time, on the steeple, with Fowler working alongside him.
Though he has been a carpenter for several years, Sandven said he has never done a project like this before. The biggest concern for him was when the steeple was taken off and set on the ground, would it fit again when it was returned to the roof.
Ron Walker, pastor of the Little White Church, said he has been impressed with the measuring and cutting done by Sandven. All the angles were done perfectly.
“Anything you build, it all goes back to high school geometry. If you have one straight side, then you can work off of that,” said Sandven.
Fowler said the basic plan for the steeple was the brainchild of Grover who would brainstorm ideas and then talk them through with Sandven and Fowler. When it was done and the crane was brought from D&W Crane of Rapid City to lift it back on the church, it was a pretty tense moment, Fowler said. But he also said when the steeple was placed on the building and it all fit together, it was a pretty impressive moment.
Grover marvels at the way God was involved in helping things come together properly.
When installing the metal ribbed roofing on the steeple, they started at the center, but when they put roofing on the “apron” surrounding the steeple, they started on the right side. When it was in place, all the ribs matched up.
There is something new on the steeple this time around. A four-foot by six-foot aluminum cross extends above the steeple. Grover said Walker had mentioned the possibility, which brought about discussion with the building committee and subsequently, the decision to employ Jay’s Welding of Rapid City to create the cross.
The cross is made of a three by five inch polished aluminum channel, and the stem goes into the steeple about eight feet and is anchored with 3 5/8 inch carriage bolts. A cone fits around the base of the cross and rests on the point of the steeple. Grover estimates the distance to the top of the cross to be about 56 feet above the parking lot and probably about 80 feet up from the street. He said the cross and the roof reflect the light all day long.
“The color changes as the sun comes up in the morning and sets in the evening. The steeple is bright all day long. It is like a beacon on the hill, just as the Little White Church has been a beacon for 122 years,” said Grover.