Sikeston First United Methodist
~ Church History ~

In 1867, the Town of Sikeston was approached on horseback by an itinerant preacher, the Rev. Lucilious F. Aspley. Reverend Aspley followed the railroad track to Sikeston as the area was swampy and travel difficult.

Thus, over 140 years ago, the Methodist Church began its history in Sikeston. The Methodist Sunday School, possibly the first Sunday School in Sikeston, met in an abandoned freight car. Those railroad tracks, which ran through the middle of town had been destroyed by union troops who occupied the town for a short while.

The first church building was erected at Front and Stoddard Streets in 1879 and dedicated in 1880 (the site of the current Roman Catholic Church). However, the congregation soon outgrew the facility, and a second church was built in 1891 at the corner of Center and New Madrid in time to hold the St. Louis Annual Conference in the fall of 1891. The church building was just behind what is now the "east" lobby of U S Bank.

Between 1891 and 1895, the pastor of the church, the Rev. John Crowe saw the need for a high school in Sikeston and organized one.  It was housed in the church for a time and was known as the Methodist College.  When it moved to a new building, it was called the Academy Institute and continued until a public high school was built at the turn of the century. 

 Nineteen years later, the 1891 church was also too small. This led to the construction of the regionally famous "Dome Church" ~ reported to be the largest church between St. Louis and Memphis at the time.  A grand building of buff brick, it was often described as Byzantine and sometimes as semi-baroque or Romanesque. It had a semi-circle of Ionic columns facing the downtown area and a high dome as can be seen in the photo to the left. The east and west walls had large stained & leaded glass windows from Belgium. The dominant window of each wall can be seen below.

The first service in the "Dome Church" was held on May 5, 1912. This church was located at the a triangular area at the intersection of New Madrid and Harris Streets, facing New Madrid Street. In 1916, the final payment was made and the building was dedicated on Dec. 3, 1916.

 

As you sat in the vaulting sanctuary, the east window on your left would catch the morning sun, the angel would become radiant, and the words "He is not here, He is risen" became emblazoned in your heart.  The west window on your right, showed Jesus in the temple at the age of 12. The distance from the floor to the top of the windows was three stories.

The church continued to grow in the following years, both in membership and activities. In the 1930s, the Men's Bible Class, begun in 1927, reached its peak with an average attendace of 300 and its own 10-member orchestra!  Between 1945-1957, Church school attendance doubled and new programs were added.  A weekly kindergarten was started in 1950. Although originally started to benefit working mothers, it grew to become a regular kindergarten available to the public. There was no public kindergarten at the time.

In 1951, additional space was needed and a new Educational Building was annexed to the facility.

In 1957, the congregation spnosored a second Methodist congregation  The Wesley Methodist Church later moved to a building on Pine Street where it remains today.  In 1966, with the merging of the South Central and the Central Jurisdictions, Smith Chapel, which also had been sponsored by the congregation of First Methodist Church became part of the Missouri Est conference.

In February 1968, the church celebrated its 100th anniversary.  One month after the Centennial Celebration, tragedy struck when fire of undetermined origin destroyed the sanctuary.  The fire started in the early morning hours of March 23, 1968. The education building received only smoke and water damage, but remained intact. The front columns, though damaged slightly, still stand today as a memorial to the church and a symbol of the city of Sikeston.

The church offices were moved to the parish house and services were held for three Sundays at the high school auditorium. In April 1968, the congregation began holding services at the Rex Theatre, 115 E. Center St.  Efforts to build another church started immediately, but it would be three years before the congregation had a permanent home again.  In September 1968, the church members authorized purchase of land at the North Y (intersection of Main Street and Kingshighway). The cornerstone for the new building was placed on Sunday, Dec. 6, 1970.  In March 1971, the church held its first service at the new building.

In 1968, it was suggested to the pastor that a community center could be secured and money provided if an organization would sponsore it. The program was geared to the elderly.  The Administrative Board of the church agreed to act as sponsor and in February 1970, the Heritage House (now know as the OAKS Center) opened its doors and became a valuable asset to the community. First UMC continues to contribute to the facility.

In the early 1970s, lay ministries grew as members fulfilled speaking engagements in Sikestona nd at churches in the district, visited the sick and shutins and became involvec in Christian outreach.  Several prayer groups were also begun, some of which expanded to include participants of others faiths.  A Mother's Day Out program was started by the United Methodist Women. In the 1980s, a van ministry was begun and a handbell choir was organized. First UMC also became one of the first distribution points for the Bootheel Food Bank.

In 1987-1988, the number of worship services were expanded. Services were offered at 5 p.m. Thursday and Sunday at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.  

Construction was begun in 1989 on a new chapel, named the Dempster Memorial Chapel. The chapel, which seats about 125 and has a beautiful large stained glass window of a cross, is located in the middle of the campus, just south of the main lobby and across the lobby from the sanctuary.  It was consecrated Nov. 11, 1990.   At that time, the Thursday service was moved to 5 p.m. Saturday. 

In 1988, a major event during the Christmas season was added with production of the Living Christmas Scenes. These are outdoor scenes with live actors that depict events in the life of Christ.  It is usually produced for four evenings and requires about 100 actors and background crew each evening.

The first endowment program for the church was opened in 1995.  Since that time several other endowments have been added and the proceeds used to fund scholarships, outreach needs and building needs.

The Stephen Ministry program was begun with commissioning of the newly trained Stephen Ministers in the spring of 2003. More classes of Stephen Ministers have been commissioned since that time, providing a network of lay caretakers to meet the needs of those suffering from such life experiences as illness, loss of a loved one, divorce and other anguishes.

Another new service was added September 2001.  This contemporary praise service features our praise band, Salvation's Well.  The service originally met at 9 a.m. in the sanctuary. However, it is now meeting in the newly constructed Family Life Center at 10:15 a.m., concurrently with the traditional service in the sanctuary.

A 20,000-square-foot Family Life Center was constructed to the south of the current building beginning in 2005, and is the first of three phases for expansion planned to meet the needs of the church in the future.  In conjunction with that construction, the nursery, the lobby and the kitchen in the original building were also refurbished.

The new Family Life Center features are large open area with a stage, a walking track above the floor, several classrooms, a large lobby, and a catering kitchen, was opened in April 2006.  It is a place for worship, youth activities, Sunday school classes, housing for mission groups, as well as many other church and community activities. 

During the past several years, this church has sent Volunteer in Mission teams to Costa Rica and Peru, as well as within our own state and surrounding states.  Youth mission teams have also traveled to Mexico, as well as within Missouri and to other states in the United States.

The church continues to look to the future and meeting the needs of those in the church and community.  In 2008, it began participation in the Healthy Church Initiative. You can read more about that under the Connecting Others to Christ section of this website.