“The Deputy Chief of Mission from the US Embassy will attend the ceremony, as well as other religious friends from far away. Everyone will pray for the church,” he said.

The church is temporarily closed to visitors as preparations for the ceremony are under way. It is also currently under renovation to the tune of US$125,000, with assistance from the World Monument Fund (WMF), a New York-based nonprofit that supports conservation projects for important cultural heritage buildings worldwide.

On-site assessments on the church were conducted in 2016 and renovations, expected to take two years, started in April, the reverend said. Work will focus on renovating the reconstructed teak roof, which was originally destroyed during World War II, as well as removing asbestos insulation and restoring the structure’s physical appearance, according to WMF.

The First Baptist Church, founded in 1827 by American missionary Adoniram Judson. It the third-oldest Baptist church in Myanmar, according to Frontier Myanmar magazine. The actual date of the church’s 190-year anniversary is December 2.