Members of First United Methodist Church of Festus-Crystal City have a big celebration planned for this weekend.
The church, at 113 Grand Ave. in Festus, will hold an open house and other festivities on Sunday, Aug. 25, to mark “100 Years in Our Sanctuary.”
The public is invited to the free event.
Festivities will kick off with the open house at 9 a.m., giving visitors a chance to explore the renovated ministry areas, browse a historical display and meet outreach and mission leaders. Coffee and cookies will be served.
A worship celebration will be at 10 a.m., featuring the Rev. Mark Sheets as guest speaker. He is director of congregational excellence for the Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Two choirs and a modern worship band will perform, and dedications and presentations will be held throughout the service.
A barbecue and potluck meal is planned for 11:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
History
The cornerstone for the current church building was laid on Aug. 28, 1924, after the previous church was destroyed in a fire, said the Rev. Tish Green, the church’s senior pastor since 2017.
“UMC has been a foundation in our community for 138 years,” she said. “This celebration will highlight our commitment to honor the accomplishments of the past while embracing the promise of our future,”
The church’s fall offerings will include a preview of the youth and children’s ministry program and a new worship service to launch at 11 a.m. Oct. 20 geared to the next generation of churchgoers whose leaders are about 25 years old and younger, Green said.
“Our faithful members through the years have included city officials, first responders, school faculty and local business owners. We continue to grow in diversity as we partner in ministry with people from all walks of life,” Green said.
Founded in 1886 by six people who had been gathering to worship, today’s First UMC members gather in the third church built at the corner of Grand Avenue and North Second Street. The first, a white wood-framed church built in 1889, was outgrown in just 18 years. The cornerstone for the second, a larger brick-and-stone building, was laid in June 1907, according to the History of The First United Methodist Church of Festus-Crystal City.
The cornerstone of the church was laid on Aug. 28, 1924. It is the third church that was built at the corner of Grand Avenue and North Second Street in Festus.
Built for $8,000, it was considered the most modern church in Festus at the turn of the century,
The sanctuary was filled with wooden pews, and light filtered through stained-glass windows. Hymns were sung to music played from a pump organ that was supplied with air by a handle on one side. The church thrived, with a robust attendance and a vibrant Sunday school program, the history said.
Tragically, 16 1/2 years later, a fire destroyed the church on Jan. 27, 1924. The Sunday service was underway when a late-arriving member alerted the congregation, allowing everyone to get out safely.
Young men quickly rose from their seats and carried the pump organ out of the burning church. Valuable records and papers were destroyed, though miraculously, the pews, organ, altar and stained-glass windows were saved, according to the history book.
The estimated loss was $40,000, and only half of the cost was covered by insurance. The church labored long under the debt of rebuilding, according to the records.
The new church – the third one – cost $60,000 to rebuild. Ground was broken on June 26, 1924, and the cornerstone was laid on Aug. 28, 1924.
The sanctuary had a capacity for 350 people, including room for 100 people in its balcony. It featured a Gratian pipe organ. A third floor was dedicated to classrooms, and a lower level had a Sunday school assembly room, classrooms and a kitchen.
Other historical highlights
In 1966, members of St. John’s Methodist Church, a congregation of Black Methodists, merged with First UMC, and the St. John’s building at South Adams and Harrison Lane was sold.
In 1973, a $135,000 sanctuary remodeling project included new pipes and stops for the organ, enhancements to the front of the church, removal of two side aisles to create a center aisle and the addition of a narthex with a large stained-glass window wall.
Under Green’s leadership, the sanctuary’s stained glass windows have been restored and the altar area rebuilt. Meeting rooms and classrooms have been remodeled, the food pantry has been expanded and a new elevator has been installed. A digital sign on Main Street promotes upcoming events. Livestreaming of the worship services proved essential during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to be popular today.
“We are sharing God’s love in our community in tangible ways through our food pantry, homeless outreach and hosting of community organizations in our building,” Green said. “We are so happy to celebrate 100 years in our sanctuary and invite the Jefferson County community to celebrate with us.”