Welcome home

First Baptist will hold an open house at its new church.

Even from a mile away, amid the sprawl of houses on Lexington Avenue and Cape Rock Drive, the towering steeple of First Baptist Church can be seen.

Alongside the physical visibility of the new church, the congregation of First Baptist hopes to extend its spiritual presence in the community as well.

In December, the church relocated to its new home at 1289 Lexington Ave. On Sunday, the congregation will officially celebrate that move with an open house from 2 to 4 p.m.

"There is something about being on this hill. In the morning with the sun coming up, it's so pretty," said Sheila Faire, who works in the church office.

Inside the new 23,000-square-foot space, the building still smells new. But there are remnants of the old church as well, including the original pews, which have been refurbished. There's also a 12-by-12-foot piece of stained glass that used to hang behind the baptistry in the old building.

"We think it just makes it look so much more like home," Faire said.

The sanctuary seats 250 with audio and lighting features for stage productions. A large wooden cross is suspended behind the pulpit.

The new location also has an activity center, education building and offices on one level built on 10 acres of land.

First Baptist Church decided to relocate in 2004 after Southeast Missouri State University offered to purchase the property at 926 Broadway. The university turned the church's former activities building into a student recreation center and intends to use the education space for administrative offices. The current sanctuary eventually will become an alumni center.

The new building has classrooms specially designed for preschool through college-age students. The activity center will soon serve as a gymnasium as well. There is a state-of-the-art kitchen with industrial appliances. There's also room for future expansion on the grounds, including a playing field and outdoor seating area with barbecue pits.

The church has recently begun some new outreach efforts, including handing out bottled water at farmers markets and free snow cones at a recent back-to-school event for college students.

The enthusiasm behind those efforts goes back to the excitement over the new building.

cmiller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128