ARCADIA, Fla. — Friendly chatter and soft piano music welcomed people into St. John Missionary Baptist Church's sanctuary on Sunday.
WATCH: Arcadia church celebrates 110 years with new sanctuary:
The historically-Black church is celebrating 110 years by moving back into it's sanctuary after an eight-year renovation that included a legal battle and historic flooding.
Longtime church members said St. John's has been a sanctuary - both literally and metaphorically.
“I enjoy being here. When I say joy I ain’t talking about being happy. I’m talking about an inside joy that you can’t get nowhere else," said Barry McMillian, who has attended the church since 1978. "Not only just the people that go here. It’s the spirit you feel when you walk in the door.”
The church was organized on February 24, 1916, according to lifelong member Brenda Johnson. In August 2017, it embarked on a renovation.
The church would not worship in its sanctuary for another eight years.
"Anything that could go wrong, went wrong," Johnson said.
The church moved service to the Sunday school area as it got tangled up in a legal dispute with the contractor. Then COVID-19 hit and service moved again. The church worshipped in the parking lot with loud speakers and on Facebook Live.
Hurricane Ian topped it off, flooding the sanctuary and setting back the project even further.
During this time, the elderly congregation lost 15 people to illness and old age - including former pastor, Dr. Michael Rue.
Johnson also lost her daughter and husband, who passed away within a few years of each other.
But she never lost the faith. Johnson said St. John's helped her overcome deep loss.
"During those dark times, people rally around you," Johnson said. "And sometimes it’s not what they say. It’s their presence.”
People rallied around the church as well.
McMillian said he was inspired by previous generations who put their "whole heart" into the church. That included doing electrical and plumbing work.
Some people walked away from St. John's during the renovation, McMillian said. But a "faithful few" helped carry the Arcadia institution towards a new chapter.
The church recently completed renovation of the sanctuary, holding it's first service there on November 16, 2025.
“If anything people can get out of this," McMillian said. "It’s hold on to your faith. Don’t let go.”
