Churches in Cape Girardeau, Perry counties prepare for holiday tour today and Friday

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been changed to correct Janet Fiedler's name, which was erroneously written as Fiedling in the original story.

Christian congregations in northern Cape Girardeau County and southern Perry County will host a celebration of Christmas and honor their history beginning today with the annual Christmas Country Church Tour.

Twenty-three churches in 18 small towns throughout the counties have decorated sanctuaries for Christmas in an open-house self-guided tour designed to remind visitors of the meaning of Christmas and to celebrate their heritage. The tour is being held from 3 to 9 p.m. today and Friday.

Janet Fiedler, a representative of the tour from Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells, said the event is special because no other event in the area offers a chance for so many Christian denominations to come together for a specific purpose.

Upon visiting each church, a host and hostess or several congregation members will be on hand to speak to visitors about their church's history. The heritage of the congregations and history of the churches will be a prominent focus.

Carolyn Thompson lights oil lamps at Apple Creek Presbyterian Church while decorating for the Christmas Country Church Tour.

"Our religion is our roots and what we know. We are proud of it. The heritage is really important," Fiedler said.

Her home church, overlooking rolling hills in New Wells, will feature carolers singing in German on the balcony above the sanctuary Friday evening and have three ornaments from their original church on display.

Her husband's family has attended Immanuel Lutheran all their lives. Her father-in-law attended school in the small brick schoolhouse no longer in use just across the road.

Just south in Pocahontas, Carolyn Thompson can claim family history in the area going back to her great-great-grandparents, who are buried in the cemetery behind Apple Creek Presbyterian Church. The church was founded in 1821 and is the third-oldest Presbyterian church west of the Mississippi River. At least two Revolutionary War veterans are also known to be buried in the cemetery.

Thompson decorated Apple Creek Presbyterian Church on Tuesday. She plays the organ there for special services held twice a year aside from the Christmas tour. In the 1960s, the congregation officially disbanded, but members of other churches formed a memorial association to keep up the current building, built in 1873. The building, which has no electricity, is heated with wood-burning stoves and lit by gas lamps.

Fiedler said visitors can begin the tour wherever they choose. They will be greeted at the door of each church and invited inside to enjoy live Christmas music and refreshments. The tour is free, but a donation is welcome at each. The churches will use money raised by the tour to directly fund their individual mission or charity.

The annual tour began five years ago with a group of churches in Perry County. At first, five churches were on the tour. By the second year the number of participants grew into the double digits and has since averaged around 20 participants. Last year the tour had around 400 visitors.

Several churches on the tour have not avoided weather issues over the past few years. Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg was severely damaged in the May windstorm that hit the area. Its steeple was blown off, landing on the ground in front of the church. This week, painters were putting the finishing touches on a new steeple just in time for the tour.

The sanctuary of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Crosstown was previously damaged by a tornado. Fiedler said last year during the tour, the congregation was lucky to be able to show off a new sanctuary and Christmas decorations.

Fiedler said she foresees a good turnout again this year.

"To me it's important that people remember why we have Christmas, to really get back to the roots of why we have this holiday. I hope they can come and visit the churches and help celebrate why we are all here," she said.

A complete list of the churches on the tour can be found online at www.immanuelnewwells.org.

The tour will be canceled in the event of snow or ice.