SOUTHEAST MISSOURI (KFVS) - A Heartland holiday tradition is marking two decades.
The Christmas Country Church Tour will take place from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, December 18-19.
Organizers say a record number of churches are participating this year, with 40 spread out across four southeast Missouri counties and Kaskaskia, Illinois.
It’s a self-guided tour, with free-will donations accepted.
Most locations will have refreshments and greeters with information about the church. Some will also have cookie recipes.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bollinger County Churches
Crossroads United Methodist Church (Sedgewickville) - BCR 200, off Highway KK, Perryville, Mo.
Sargent’s Chapel Lutheran Church - 16067 BCR 256, Sedgewickville, Mo.
Whitewater Presbyterian Church - 34672 BCR 234, Sedgewickville, Mo.
Cape Girardeau County Churches
Trinity Lutheran Church (Egypt Mills) - 5665 County Road 635, Cape Girardeau, Mo.
New Salem United Methodist Church - 650 State Highway AA, Daisy, Mo.
ADVERTISEMENT
Trinity Lutheran Church - 3700 County Road 415, Friedheim, Mo.
Old McKendree Chapel - 4080 Bainbridge Rd., Jackson, Mo.
Immanuel Evangelical Church - 304 County Road 516, New Wells, Mo.
Caney Fork Baptist Church - 3580 County Road 472, Oak Ridge, Mo.
First Baptist Church of Oak Ridge - 4154 State Highway E, Oak Ridge, Mo.
Apple Creek Presbyterian Church - County Road 530 & 543, Pocahontas, Mo.
St. John’s Lutheran Church - 158 Little St., Pocahontas, Mo.
Zion Lutheran Church - 264 Main St., Pocahontas, Mo.
Trinity Lutheran Church - 175 Shawneetown Rd., Shawneetown, Mo.
Perry County churches
Immanuel Lutheran Church - 8234 Main St., Altenburg, Mo.
ADVERTISEMENT
Lutheran Heritage Center & Log Cabin College - 75 Church St., Altenburg, Mo.
Trinity Lutheran Church - 57 Church St., Altenburg, Mo.
Brazeau Presbyterian Church - 106 Church Ln., Brazeau, Mo.
Concordia Lutheran Church - 10172 Highway C, Frohna, Mo.
Saxon Lutheran Memorial - 296 Saxon Memorial Dr., Frohna, Mo.
Bethlehem Baptist Church (Crosstown) - 160 PCR 350, Perryville, Mo.
Christ the Savior Catholic Church (Brewer) - 55 Shady Ln., Perryville, Mo.
First Presbyterian Church - 6 E. Ste. Marie St., Perryville, Mo.
Hill of Peace Friedenberg Church - 510 PCR 304, Perryville, Mo.
Lithium Baptist Church - 130 Blue Springs Ln., Perryville, Mo.
National Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal - 1805 W. St. Joseph St., Perryville, Mo.
Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church (Sereno) - 172 PCR 920, Perryville, Mo.
Pleasant Grove Baptist Church (Crosstown) - 2888 PCR 314, Perryville, Mo.
St. James Catholic Church (Crosstown) - 21694 Highway C, Perryville, Mo.
St. Joseph Catholic Church (Apple Creek) - 138 St. Joseph St., Perryville, Mo.
St. Joseph Catholic Church (Highland) - 2640 Highway K, Perryville, Mo.
St. Marcus Catholic Church (Biehle) - 10198 Highway B, Perryville, Mo.
St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church (Silver Lake) - 10138 Highway T, Perryville, Mo.
Salem Lutheran Church (Farrar) - 287 PCR 328, Perryville, Mo.
Zion Lutheran Church - 6483 S. Highway 61, Perryville, Mo.
Zion Lutheran Church (Crosstown) - 21202 Highway C, Perryville, Mo.
Grace Lutheran Church - 53 Grace Ln., Uniontown, Mo.
Ste. Genevieve County Churches
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church - 481 Immaculate Conception Dr., St. Mary’s, Mo.
Holy Cross Lutheran Church Ste. Genevieve - 200 Market St., Ste. Genevieve, Mo.
There will also be a church in KasKaskia, Illinois. The Immaculate Conception Catholic Church is located at 207 First St.
Mary Jane Buchheit founded the tour in 2005. She said just six churches participated that first year.
“People love it, puts them in the Christmas spirit. They come in smiling and happy to share, and we love to see them. It’s awesome.”
Trish Erzfeld with Perry County Heritage Tourism said it takes more than 400 volunteers to make the tour happen.
“We always say that the church is the heartbeat of all our communities, and so it gives these churches an opportunity to open their doors and share the history, the heritage and the Christmas traditions with thousands of people that come.”
Erzfeld said all but three of the church buildings on the tour are more than a century old.
“We have people in our community that haven’t walked in the doors of certain churches that have been in their neighborhoods their entire life, but we also have people that will travel across the country to tour churches that they’ve never seen before.”
Erzfeld said the greeters will also be able to provide guidance on how to get to the next tour stop.
Copyright 2025 KFVS. All rights reserved.