Nearly three years and eight months after a tornado destroyed the sanctuary of First Baptist Church, Monroe City, the church will dedicate its new facilities on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 8. A special music service will begin at 2 p.m., and the dedication follows at 2:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend the afternoon service and the reception which follows. Guests may tour the facility before and after the dedication service.

 The new sanctuary is a blend of old and new. Although several large stained glass windows from the previous sanctuary were broken by the storm, most were salvaged from the 1899 church building and incorporated into the new sanctuary. A pipe organ also was repaired and refinished.

 Before the tornado struck, on Sunday night March 12, 2006, the pastor had opened the church basement for several people to take shelter from the approaching storm. No one was injured.
 At that time, the church had nearly completed construction on a multipurpose building with a fellowship hall. The congregation met at a local school building for one week while the interior of the fellowship hall was painted. Since then, worship services have been held in the fellowship hall which sustained only minor damage from the storm. Classrooms and temporary offices were completed in the basement of the fellowship hall by volunteer labor in March 2008.
 Before construction started on the new sanctuary, the church decided to demolish a 1957 education wing which was located between the old sanctuary and the fellowship hall so that the new structure could be built on ground level. Two buildings on adjoining lots, which were damaged by the same storm, were purchased and demolished so that the new sanctuary could be expanded.

 In addition to the 280-seat sanctuary, the facility includes church offices, a choir room, a nursery, and classrooms. The new addition is 15,790 sq. ft., including a partial basement with some classrooms located on that level. The $2.6 million insurance settlement covered most of the construction costs, and more than $150,000 in other donations helped with demolition, additional lots, some materials, and the refurbishing of the stained glass windows and pipe organ.
 The church will observe its 140th anniversary during the 10:30 a.m. service that same day. Former pastor Phil Turner of St. Clair, Mo., will preach during the morning service. David Tolliver, executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention, will deliver the message for the afternoon dedication. Milton Baumgardner has served as pastor at First Baptist Church since 1999.