The First Baptist Church of Perryville is hosting a Centennial Celebration on Saturday and Sunday to honor its 100th anniversary, from 1925 to 2025.
From 4 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, there will be fellowship, games, VBS registration, and refreshments on the grounds. Beginning at 10 a.m. on Sunday, the worship service, with nursery available, will be followed by a banquet in the Fellowship Hall.
A booklet titled “The Birth of First Baptist Church Perryville (1925-1936),” written by the late Billie Mills, narrates the story of the church “from conception to first church building.” It begins with a depiction of the nation and the city of Perryville during the time when the church was established.
“The date was Jan. 1, 1925,” she writes. “Calvin Coolidge was president, Prohibition was seven years old, women had been able to vote for five years, and some women actually had their hair bobbed. Things were changing. The depression was ahead, but no one knew that yet, although the farmers were already hurting because, by now, the World War I European demand for food was being met by the Europeans again, and American farmers had lost their markets in Europe.
“The Perryville of 1925 was very different from the Perryville of now. The population of Perryville was 1,763 in 1920, but by 1927, it was a little more than 2,100, plus about 200 in the suburbs. In 1930, the population was 2,964. This was the largest increase until that time and would be the largest until the 1970-1980 decade. This increase occurred because the International Shoe Company opened for work in May of 1925 — the same month the First Baptist Church was organized.
“Perryville had had telephones since the 1890s and electricity since 1913, but it was in 1925 when we had our first city water. Now, indoor plumbing was possible. What an improvement. There were no paved streets in Perryville and no paved roads in Perry County. The streets around the square were graveled, but they were very dusty in the summer. Actually, the paving of streets would affect the church twice before we even had a building.”
Mills went on to describe the beginnings of First Baptist Church.
“In Perryville, Missouri, on that Tuesday, Jan.1, 1925, a group of people met together with the Rev. H.B. Colter of Jackson to have Baptist services. We don’t actually know how many were in the group, nor do we know why Rev. Colter was leading the group. The meetings may have begun as a mission sponsored by a church in Jackson or Cape Girardeau. We don’t know because there are no records of the meeting. The services were held in the Presbyterian Church. This group decided to have two services a month, the second and fourth Sunday in each month.”
Mills noted that there were eight charter members: Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Wirth, Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Phillips, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Miller, and Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Graff. The first records of the church date back to a business meeting held on Oct. 14, 1925, in a church member's home.
“In December of 1925, the church decided to ask the State Board for $1,000 to begin a building fund, and A.J. Graff was appointed to contact the State Board. They also decided to have their business meetings on Thursday evenings. According to the records, the First Baptist Church of Perryville had 15 members by the end of 1925.”
At the February 1926 business meeting, Mills writes that a motion was made and accepted to take pledges on a three-year basis for building a new church building, and two committees were formed — a building committee and a finance committee. The church voted to pay Rev. Warren $500 a year with no paid vacation, which he initially accepted, but in June, he resigned. According to the membership records, the church added 16 members in 1926, four in 1927, none in 1928, and one in 1929.
“Then on July 21, 1932, a motion was made and passed to build a tabernacle 30 x 60 feet,” Mills writes. “The church owned the lot on the corner of Saint Joseph and Church streets, and this was probably where they were going to build the tabernacle. The tabernacle may have been a frame for a large tent as a place to have a revival. Unfortunately, there were no more minutes until November. However, there were 38 new members added to the church that year, and in the memory of people, there was a large tent revival held that summer. Whether the tabernacle and a tent were the same thing or not has been forgotten.”
Mills writes that, at the Nov. 6, 1932, business meeting, an ordination ceremony for the church’s first deacons was held. There were four, and Rev. Coulter conducted the examination.
“On Jan. 24, 1934, there was a special recommendation from the Board of Deacons,” Mills wrote. “‘The Deacon Board of the First Baptist Church of Perryville, Missouri, met in a called meeting Sunday, Jan. 21, 1934, 1:30 p.m., in the home of Rev. A.C. Rudloff for the purpose of considering the building of a suitable house of worship.”
In May 1934, the church instructed the building committee to submit their plan for the new church. By March 1935, the church was anxious to have its own building. A lot was purchased on North Main Street, but the congregation couldn’t agree on what kind of building they wanted and could afford. By October, the finance committee reported that the church was unable to get a $2,500 loan to build the church with wings, but the Bank of Perryville would loan the church $1,800. The church accepted the conditions of the loan and proceeded with the construction of the church for $2,800.
Mills writes, “The original intention was to have the church ready for occupancy by Jan. 1, 1936. The congregation has been having services in the wareroom of the Perryville Mill, which was expected to be leased within a week or two to the cheese plant men, an eventuality which would necessitate the holding of services temporarily in some other place, pending the completion of the church building. It was in the basement that we held our services until the upstairs was completed.
The Perry County Republican had a small paragraph about it in the paper. “Feb. 6, 1936, First Service Held in Baptist Church – The Baptist Church under construction at Perryville was used for the first time last Sunday, when the pastor, the Rev. Warren, conducted services in the basement of the structure. The new building occupies a lot on the west side of North Main Street. It is planned to have regular services in the basement until the building is completed.
“For 10 ½ years, the First Baptist Church had been a church doing the best it could to survive an extremely difficult time in circumstances. Now, finally, we had a church — a church home — that would be remembered by many people and would exist because many people believed in the Lord and worked to do His will. If the same spirit continues to prevail, the church will prevail.”
In the years since First Baptist Perryville moved into its first building, the church has continued to grow and prosper as it shares the good news of Jesus Christ with the community.
As the church prepares to celebrate its centennial year, Pastor Logan Bennett writes, “Only being the lead pastor here for two years and being able to be a part of this 100- year celebration is a unique blessing that I am thankful to the Lord for. And though my family and I are still new to both the church and Perryville, this has been an avenue for me to experience the history of our church.
“As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the First Baptist Church of Perryville, we want to be sure that we aren’t celebrating ourselves. We aren’t boasting in us. Instead, this celebration is a confession of our need, as well as a thankful praise to God for his faithfulness to us. God is always faithful to his people. The reason that FBC has been around for 100 years is the grace of God. And if we are to be around for another 100 years, it will be because of the grace of God.”
