Seventh Day Adventist

One Sunday morning in the fall of 1917, Gottlieb Roedel, Colporteur, stopped by Guy Searle's store in Diesem, North Dakota to purchase a newspaper.  A religious discussion followed.  Dinner time came and Mr. Searle put out cheese and crackers, so that they could continue their conversation.

During the day many people came and went.  Mr. Searle waited on customers as he and Mr. Roedel continued their study of the Bible, which continued far into the night and for many nights thereafter.

Soon arrangements were made to have meetings in the schoolhouse. A minister, R. T. Nash, was sent from the Seventh Day Adventist headquarters in Jamestown to assist Gottlieb Roedel.

On June 2, 1918 the Deisem Seventh Day Adventist Church was organized on the banks of the James River at Grand Rapids with thirty-five newly baptized members: Mr. & Mrs. Brown, Lillie Brown Hoffman, Mr. & Mrs. Albert Dallmann, Fritz Gentz, Glen Graybill, John Hoffman, Mr. & Mrs. Paul Lenz, Otto Lenz, Emmie Lenz, Mr. & Mrs. Conrad Nast, Mr. & Mrs. Ed Nicholai, Mr. & Mrs. Noble Sr., Mr. & Mrs. Art Noble, Herman Moss, Mr. & Mrs. Lee Overlees, Guy Overlees, Mr. & Mrs. Fred Poppe, Mary Romilliard, Mr. & Mrs. Guy Searle, Mr. & Mrs. Ray Steele, Mr. & Mrs. Herman Thom, Mrs. Wilson and Minnie Wilson.

A Sabbath School was also organized with Ed Nicholai, the first superintendent.

Before leaving the area Elder R. T. Nash raised over $1,400.00 for the construction of Deisem's first church building.  Mrs. Nancy Withnell, mother of Mrs. Guy Searle, donated some land for the church building, which was adjacent to the store.

The Conference sent Mr. A.A. Dirksen and his family to build the church and to stay with the people and minister to the newly organized church.

The Deisem Church was dedicated July 19, 1919.

Today you would no longer see this town of Deisem, but you would see a little white church standing out on the prairie all by itself.  This church was used until 1973 when a new sanctuary was built in Edgeley.

The Edgeley Seventh Day Adventist Church was dedicated December 2, 1978.