OLD TOWN — Here is a church, with plenty of people; but for about two months, it was missing its steeple.

On Saturday, about 24 hours before the Sunday services began, workers began to replace the steeple of the Stillwater Federated Church in Stillwater. The steeple had been under repair since mid-June, according to the Rev. George Curtis, D.M., who said that the effort cost about $35,000.

“That was what took our breath away,” said Curtis, adding that church officials had a hard time finding a local company to take on the task. “We’d been trying to get it for months, for years.”

The work was completed by a company based in North Penobscot.

Most of the repair, which included reconstructing the tower and resupporting the steeple itself, will be paid for through church investments and money earned at fund-raisers, Curtis said.

On Saturday morning, dozens of people sat in folding metal chairs, lining the sidewalk across from the church, which is at least 140 years old. Many were photographing and videotaping the workers, who slowly lowered the refurbished structure onto the tower. The brass-and-metal weather vane rested on the ground, waiting to be replaced.