Cancer patient, abandoned church help each other find new life

Doctors who diagnosed Greg Thomas with stage four head and neck cancer three years ago suggested family members begin planning a funeral. His situation led Thomas to take walks on a country road near Montgomery, Minnesota, where he became enamored with an old church  abandoned in the 1860′s.  Now things are looking up for both Thomas and the old Budejovice Church.

KARE 11′S Boyd Huppert tells the remarkable story:

The church is now known as St. John’s Chapel and a September fundraiser helped nudge the old building a little closer to a new roof. The fundraising effort continues on the chapel’s Facebook page.

Montgomery is in a part of LeSueur County that began filling with Czech immigrants even before Minnesota became a state. Its Kolacky Days celebration is among the state’s oldest festivals and the city is home to the Miss Czech Slovak Minnesota pageant.