The Rt. Rev. Dr. Jonathan H. Folts, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota, is pleased to announce that he has called the Rev. Kim Fonder as the Superintending Presbyter of the Mni Sose Episcopal Mission.
The Mission consists of seven congregations: Christ Church, Chamberlain; Christ Church, Fort Thompson, and St. John the Baptist Church, Crow Creek, both on the Crow Creek Reservation; and Holy Comforter, Lower Brule; Holy Name, Fort George; Messiah, Iron Nation; and St. Alban’s, Fort Hale Bottom, all on the Lower Brule Reservation.
Fr. Kim currently serves as the Superintending Presbyter of the Standing Rock Episcopal Mission in South Dakota, where he leads seven congregations.
“Fr. Kim has served very faithfully in Standing Rock for many years, and they will miss him,” Bishop Jonathan reported. “During the pandemic, he actually grew his congregations because of his ministry in the community. People saw what he was doing and said, ‘I want to be a part of your church!’ before ever stepping foot in the church’s building. This is the kind of passion that he will be bringing to the Mni Sose Mission. He will engage both the people in the mission congregations and the communities where they reside.”
“I am honored to be called back home, because this has been my home for about 30 years,” Fr. Kim said. “This is where I started (my ministry). In 2000, I became Senior Warden of Holy Comforter, Lower Brule, and my Lakota mother, Maxine Grass Rope, started calling me ‘her priest,’ but I said, ‘No, I’m not your priest, I’m your senior warden.’ She continued pushing me forward, telling me I would lead Morning Prayer, and so I did. Then I was nominated to go through the process in 2006, of course by Maxine Grass Rope, and that began my journey to priesthood. So these are the people who lifted me up, and I’m honored and delighted to come back to serve them.”
Terry Quilt, Senior Warden of Christ Church, and Itancan of the Mni Sose Episcopal Mission Council, echoed Fr. Kim’s thoughts: “We are happy to welcome him back as our Superintending Presbyter. Everybody will be happy to see him back, because he is pretty well acquainted with everyone here on the reservations, especially their families. It will be a welcoming sight for him to be coming back, for us and for him. When he first started out, he enjoyed being here, so it will be something good for the people to look forward to.”
Fr. Kim, who was ordained a priest in 2010, served as both deacon and assisting priest, and then as the interim priest on the Mni Sose from 2013-2015, prior to moving to the Standing Rock Mission.
“I look forward to coming back and serving, not just the reservation churches, but also Christ Church, Chamberlain, because they are part of the Mni Sose Mission,” he said. “And I’m honored to be going back to visiting the nursing homes and hospital systems, because pastoral care is a huge part and is so important to my ministry.”
Anne Mayer, Senior Warden at Christ Church, Chamberlain, welcomed Fr. Kim back to the Mni Sose: “We are very pleased that he accepted the call, and we are very happy to have him.”
Sheryl Scott, treasurer of the Bishop’s Committee at Holy Comforter, as well as treasurer of the Niobrara Council, said she was delighted to call Fr. Kim home. “I am happy to welcome him back. I missed him while he was gone. We are looking forward to his energy to work with the community.”
Bishop Folts agrees. “Our partnership with the Lutherans that Fr. Kim helped to establish and grow in McLaughlin was nothing short of a miracle in the making. He is definitely a priest for the people and is about as personable as they come. I’m glad that he is staying in our Diocese!”
“We are happy to welcome him back as our Superintending Presbyter. Everybody will be happy to see him back, because he is pretty well acquainted with everyone here on the reservations, especially their families. It will be a welcoming sight for him to be coming back, for us and for him. When he first started out, he enjoyed being here, so it will be something good for the people to look forward to.”
Prior to ordination, Fr. Kim was a law enforcement officer in Sisseton, Bell Fourche and Wilmont, S.D., as well as a hard rock miner in Lead. Fr. Kim and his wife, Tammy, and two of their grandchildren will move to Lower Brule in September, and Fr. Kim will begin his new ministry in early October.