Ground will be broken for that pavilion Friday as part of the annual local commemoration of the Rev. Al Henderson that is called Pay It Forward Friday.

Henderson was the pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge. He was also the chaplain for the Fort Dodge Police Department, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, District 7 of the Iowa State Patrol and the Fort Dodge Fire Department. He created a group to support local first responders called Serving Our Servants.

Henderson was murdered on the St. Paul church grounds on Oct. 2, 2019.

Since his death, Serving Our Servants has sponsored Pay It Forward Friday on the first Friday in October. This will be the sixth year of the commemoration.

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A picnic pavilion bearing the name of the Rev. Al Henderson and the insignia of local public safety departments is planned for a spot near the John F. Kennedy Memorial Park campground.

TJ Pingel, the president of Serving Our Servants, said Pay It Forward Friday is based on the knowledge that the simplest gesture of kindness can brighten the day for anyone. On that day the group encourages people to do random acts of kindness that can be as simple as holding a door open for someone.

“While we do it in honor of Pastor Al, we do it in Jesus’ name and in love for the community,” he said.

“What our world needs is more of neighbors helping neighbors and Fort Dodge always shows up for that,” he added

Pingel said acts of kindness take place all day all over Fort Dodge on Pay It Forward Friday.

Some of those acts are planned in advance. For example, he said the Fort Dodge Police Association is known to surprise customers at various businesses with coupons.

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A fundraiser for the Pastor Al Pavilion, sponsored by Serving Our Servants, was held in June at Shimkat Motor Co. in Fort Dodge. The Rev. Al Henderson was the pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge when he was murdered on the church grounds in October 2019.

“We’re kind of looking forward to seeing what they come up with this year,” he said.

The groundbreaking for the pavilion will be held at 5:30 p.m. Friday in John F. Kennedy Memorial Park near the playscape.

Serving Our Servants and the Henderson family wanted to have a physical monument to Al Henderson. The original concept was a bench and some trees. Then Matt Cosgrove, the director of Webster County Conservation, showed Pingel and Kristine Henderson, the pastor’s widow, a piece of ground near the playscape. They realized immediately that it was the perfect spot for something much more substantial than a bench.

The Pastor Al Pavilion will be a 16-by-24-foot structure. Its pillars will be decorated with the emblems of the agencies for which Al Henderson was the chaplain.

Pingel expects the building materials for the pavilion to be delivered within the next month. Jason Hudson, the owner of MC Concrete in Fort Dodge, volunteered to do all the needed concrete work for free. Workers from that company have already “plotted out the land,” according to Pingel.

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Carley Johnson, then 12; Breylin Feeley, then 12; and Madi Smith, then 12, all of Fort Dodge, sign cards for first responders during the 2024 Pay It Forward Friday event in Fort Dodge.

He said if there is good weather, it should be possible to get the basic structure up by the end of this year. The finishing details would then be completed next spring.

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Agent Kristin Kotrous, with the Iowa Department of Public Safety and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and her golden retriever, Matt, visit with Alexis Johnson, then 2, of Badger, during the 2024 Pay It Forward Friday in Fort Dodge. Matt is a therapy dog that provides support to first responders, victims and witnesses following incidents.