Millersburg Christian Church - Millersburg, MO - Country Churches on Waymarking.com

County of church: Callaway County
Location of church: MO-J, near Shiloh Ct., Millersburg
Architect: Gordon Thompson
Phone: (573) 642-2939
Pastor: Rev. Patricia Farmer

Marquee Text:

I drove down MO-J, found the firehouse, and the Baptist Church, and was actually looking for a town. You know, abandoned crumbling old brick building or two in what was downtown.
Well, here they do not exist any more. All the old, what one would call main street, has been removed. It is a residential community, and rather nice.

The church was much more modern than I anticipated. I knew the congregation was formed in the 1830s out on a lonely creek, and only moved to "town" when the railroad and stage freight became a gathering spot.
This actual building was built in 1952, replacing the original "town" church.
There is no cemetery at the church. And I could not find anyone who could say if there was one or not connected to this church

"The church is located in the small community of Millersburg. It sits adjacent to SR J and faces south onto a small gravel parking lot. The church is in an area of mixed residential and commercial properties.

"The origins of the congregation is a little murky with one account dating the organization to c. 1820 and others to c. 1832. The church revived and reorganized in c. 1857 under the oversight of Elder T. M. Allen. A frame building was constructed in c. 1857 with additions in 1952. When the foundation of the original sanctuary began to fail, a the church began planning a new sanctuary. They retained and remodeled the 1952 addition and added the current sanctuary in 1976. A more comprehensive history of the church was prepared for the 150th Anniversary of the church in 2008.

"In basic form, this is a brick gable end church with an original el extending from the west elevation for classrooms and social spaces. Centered in the peeked gable is a wide frame panel with a cross, to the east is an entrance with paired doors under a large arched stained glass window. The entrance and transom are sheltered beneath a slightly projecting gable roof." ~ Rural Churches in Callaway County, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, PDF page 298

"The original frame building was remodeled in 1929 to provide more seating in the sanctuary and some Sunday School classroom space. In 1952, the church received a gift of $500. The congregation responded to this generous donation by building a fellowship hall and kitchen.

"By the 1970s, the original log foundation of the church had begun to rot. Millersburg Christian Church achieved national denominational attention and acclaim in June 1977 when, under the leadership of Mr. Lawrence Forsee, Chairperson of the church Board of Directors at that time, and the Rev. Dale Angel, Pastor a new sanctuary, classrooms and fellowship hall were built at a cost of $78,000. When the new building was dedicated there was only an $8,337 debt left on the building. This huge effort involved the work of every member of the church. Two themes guided the successful completion of the new structure: “United we stand,” and “Let’s move ahead.” The roots of the past are on dramatic and meaningful display each Sunday in the new Sanctuary. An eight-foot wooden cross was made from two solid 8' x 8' roof supports from the original church was fashioned and installed in November 1977." ~ Millersburg Christian Church, History (see link below)