With the theme of “Blessings Behind Us, Blessings Before Us,” the First Baptist Church will hold a sanctuary dedication and celebration of the church’s 140th anniversary at 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

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.

 
 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 Dr. Philip E. Turner of St. Clair will preach during the morning service. He served First Baptist Church in Monroe City from 1985-1994.
Dr. David Tolliver, executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention, will deliver the message for the afternoon dedication. He is a fourth-generation Southern Baptist pastor/preacher.
Dr. Milton Baumgardner has served as pastor at First Baptist Church since 1999. He served the church when the previous building was destroyed on March 12, 2006 and has the distinction of serving as pastor of the church during the dedication of the new sanctuary and the celebration of its 140th anniversary.
Other participants in the Sunday morning ceremony will be Rev. Al Groner, director of Missions of the Bethel Association and Ed Gottman, deacon emeritus. A history of the church will be given during the morning service, in addition to a recognition of the church’s oldest members.