Central Baptist Church members have emerged from underground.
The Eureka church, 601 N. Central Ave., reopened its upstairs facility on July 16 after completing a renovation project that lasted about 16 weeks, lead pastor Dennis Gard said.
Services had been held in the church’s basement during the renovation work in the sanctuary.
“Praise the Lord, we are back upstairs,” said Kevin Arndt, music minister and worship pastor.
In service
Gard said the July 16 service celebrated the completion of the remodeling project.
“We have a lot of people who say they wanted to wait and see the space when it was completely done,” Gard said. “It’s good to know people are excited about it.”
Normally, the church has two Sunday services, at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Gard said the church decided to have one joint service on July 16 so that all members could celebrate together.
“While God is not contained alone in this building, we gather here to worship and celebrate Him,” Gard said during the service. “We want to dedicate this building back to him, and all the hard work that has gone to beautify it.”
In the 16 weeks that the church underwent renovations, worshippers gathered in the youth ministry space in the basement, Gard said. The church bought about 180 chairs so that parishioners could all fit in the basement.
“Everything that we were able to accomplish over these last few weeks really has brought a fresh spirit to things, a new buzz in the atmosphere,” Gard said.
The project
Gard said Central Baptist spent about $280,000 to replace the pews, carpeting, sound system and lighting in the church. He also said the walls were painted, and the curved stage was extended by about 4 feet.
Gard said the project was funded by donations from parishioners and began with a $50,000 donation the church received from private donors three years ago.
“The second week of February, we began tearing out the carpet, got all the pews moved out, and started the demo phase,” he said.
Gard said most of the renovations were completed by the church’s members.
He said members demolished the back wall of the sanctuary space and installed wainscoting, trimming and lighting.
Gard said contractors pushed the walls back about 4 feet at the far end of the sanctuary to provide more space for the stage.
“I play the piano here, and it felt like you were falling off the stage all the time,” said Neva Bagwell, an administrative assistant at the church. “Now, we’ve got room to do more.”
The church has been active in Eureka since 1931, Gard said.
The current church building opened in 1971.
In addition to Sunday services, Central Baptist operates an early education center and youth ministries.
Gard said the 1971 facility has been remodeled twice. In 2004, a gymnasium was added, and in 2020, the youth ministry and event space in the basement was renovated.
Gard said the sanctuary needed a refresh.
In 1971, the church was painted a vibrant red. Bagwell said the walls were painted a greenish aquamarine before the latest renovation. The walls are now a light gray.
“The color choices are very peaceful,” Gard said. “They’re not garish in any way. It gives you a sense of calmness. I think it will stand the test of time.”
Bagwell said she likes how the sanctuary looks and feels.
“The first time I came in and sat down by myself, it just seemed sacred and solemn, very peaceful,” she said. “Of course, when everybody’s singing you won’t get that same feeling.”
More to come
Gard said the work isn’t done.
He said the entryway that leads to the sanctuary will receive new flooring, updated furniture and the addition of a coffee bar.
“We had to take a pause because (the renovations) wore everybody out,” Gard said. “It took a little longer than we thought it would and everybody was kind of tired.”
He said work on the entryway project is expected to begin this month.
Gard has been the lead pastor at Central Baptist Church for five years. Prior to that, he served North Park Baptist Church in Moberly for seven years.
He said the mission of Central Baptist is to share the gospel and to “always be a beacon of hope and light for the community.”
Most of the members of the church live in Eureka, Pacific or Wildwood, he said.
“I’m really connecting with the people here, and this is a good church to be involved in,” Gard said. “The people are very loving, very caring. If you’re looking for a sense of community, our church has that feeling to it.”