Celebrating a church's milestone of 90 years

The Cape Girardeau region has a strong and deep religious heritage. Our part of the state is known for having some of the oldest churches on this side of the Mississippi. Churches were, and are, central to many of our communities.

The First Church of God at 500 Emerald St. recently celebrated its 90th anniversary as a church.

The church is a relatively small church -- it has an average attendance of about 45 people -- but it has endured. The First Church of God, according to a recent story published in the Southeast Missourian, has only missed one service in its existence. That was due to a tornado that destroyed the church building. During that tornado, a visiting minister from Ohio was killed.

Congratulations to First Church of God on reaching this milestone. And a special thank you to parishoners everywhere, of churches big and small, for supporting God's mission and one another.