Two Cedar Rapids Churches Cross Paths After Floods of 2008

By Nadia Crow, Anchor/Reporter

Tools

By Aaron Hepker

Story Created: Aug 29, 2010 at 4:52 PM CST

Story Updated: Aug 29, 2010 at 4:57 PM CST

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - One Cedar Rapids congregation says goodbye to their church home as they welcome-in the new owners. King of Kings Lutheran Church celebrated their last service Sunday. Next week a church that was flooded in 2008 will move -in to that facility.

The last Sunday morning service in this northeast Cedar rapids location. A tradition at King of Kings Lutheran Church for the past 29 years.

“We’ve gone through expansion and we’re at a point where an expansion is out of the question,” said Balvanz.

At the same time, there’s another Sunday morning service at Mount Zion Baptist Church on the southeast side of Cedar Rapids. Sounds of a new beginning loom in the air.

“We’re on our way to a whole new neighborhood and they’re excited about us coming,” said Sanders.

A fresh start after the floods of 2008 took the church’s building.

“It was devastating to us as a congregation,” said Balvanz.

“This is the original home of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church. Even though these doors have been locked for some time, the congregation and Sunday morning service kept going.

“We didn’t miss a Sunday service. We were welcomed into St. Paul and then we moved to this location,” said Sanders.

After two temporary stops, Mt Zion will finally have a new place to call home. They’ll say hello to a building while the original owners close their final chapter.

“We really see this as a wonderful situation where we needed to move and they needed a new home,” said Balvanz.

The 600 member King of Kings congregation will move on to a bigger facility. But this building is plenty for Mt. Zion as they continue to grow.

“We’re looking at it as a new beginning from the flood moving on,” said Sanders.

Mt. Zion says their congregation continued to grow even after begin displaced by the floods. King of Kings will move to a temporary church home before their final location in the Robbins area.

Next Article Dubuque Group Pushes Prayer at Council Meetings

Conversation Guidelines

Be Kind

Don't use abusive, offensive, threatening, racist, vulgar or sexually-oriented language.
Don't attack someone personally. Keep it civil and be responsible.

Share Knowledge

Be truthful. Share what you know and what you are passionate about.
What more do you want to learn? Keep it simple.

Stay focused

Promote lively and healthy debate. Stay on topic. Ask questions and give feedback on the story's topic.

Report Trouble

Help us maintain a quality comment section by reporting comments that are offensive. If you see a comment that is offensive, or you feel violates our guidelines, simply click on the "x" to the far right of the comment to report it.

read the full guidelines here »

Commenting will be disabled on stories dealing with the following subject matter: Violent crime, sexual abuse, Amber Alerts, Operation Quickfinds and suicides.