By RODNEY HART
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
MONROE CITY, Mo. -- Rev. Milton Baumgardner and First Baptist Church member Dale Askey remember looking at their wrecked roof and wall the morning after a tornado tore through town.
The roof had a huge hole, and one of the walls was already starting to crumble. Light seeped in through the openings as Monroe City began reacting to a devastating tornado on March 12, 2006.
"I thought it was almost surreal," Askey says. "But we never heard anybody sound defeated, that's what was heartening about the whole thing."
Three and half years later, First Baptist Church has rebuilt its sanctuary and looks forward to the mission and challenges ahead.
"The church is not a physical building, it's the people," Baumgardner said this week, while standing in the gleaming new sanctuary at the corner of Catherine and North Main. "The building becomes a tool we use to bring our message to the community."
The church dedicates its new facilities Sunday with a special music service at 2 p.m. and the dedication ceremony at 2:30.
The public is invited to attend the afternoon service and the following reception. Guests may tour the facility before and after the dedication service.
Get there early if you want a seat.
"We are expecting about 370 people for lunch," Baumgardner said. "It's going to be a fantastic weekend."
In addition to the 280-seat sanctuary, the facility includes church offices, a choir ro ...
By RODNEY HART
Herald-Whig Staff Writer
MONROE CITY, Mo. -- Rev. Milton Baumgardner and First Baptist Church member Dale Askey remember looking at their wrecked roof and wall the morning after a tornado tore through town.
The roof had a huge hole, and one of the walls was already starting to crumble. Light seeped in through the openings as Monroe City began reacting to a devastating tornado on March 12, 2006.
"I thought it was almost surreal," Askey says. "But we never heard anybody sound defeated, that's what was heartening about the whole thing."
Three and half years later, First Baptist Church has rebuilt its sanctuary and looks forward to the mission and challenges ahead.
"The church is not a physical building, it's the people," Baumgardner said this week, while standing in the gleaming new sanctuary at the corner of Catherine and North Main. "The building becomes a tool we use to bring our message to the community."
The church dedicates its ...
