On a cold and dreary Sunday morning, members and guests gathered at the First Baptist Church in downtown Cary to remember the fifth anniversary of a terrorist ambush on five Southern Baptist missionaries in Mosul, Iraq.

The First Baptist Church declared Sunday to be International Missions Day. Guest speakers, members and guests filled the warm church to remember Larry and Jean Elliott, two of the missionaries who were killed in the attack. Their funeral was held at First Baptist Church five years ago.

“I will never forget being with you all at the funeral five years ago,” said Dr. Jerry Rankin to the congregation in a pre-recorded video.

Rankin is the president of the International Mission Board, which sponsored the Elliotts’ mission work.

Larry and Jean Elliott were good friends to many at First Baptist Church. During their visits to the United States they often stayed in the church’s missionary house, which now bears their name.

The Elliotts, who have a history in the Triangle, spent 26 years as missionaries in Honduras before accepting a transfer to Iraq early in 2004.

About two months after arriving, on March 15, 2004, the Elliotts, along with three other International Mission Board workers, were driving near Mosul, Iraq, when there was a terrorist ambush on their vehicle. Larry Elliott, 60, and his wife Jean, 58, were killed along with two other missionaries, Karen Watson, 38, of Bakersfield, Calif., and David McDonnall, 28, of Rowlett, Texas.

Scott Elliott, son of Larry and Jean, was the first guest speaker during the service. “It’s an honor to be representing the Elliott family,” he said. He told the congregation that he doesn’t think of his parents having been gone for five years, but rather that “we are five years closer to seeing them again.”

Carrie McDonnall, wife of David McDonnall and the sole survivor of the terrorist attack, was also in attendance. She did not speak in front of the congregation, but a testimonial video, in which she recounted the attack and the death of her husband, was shown during the service.

Guest Dr. Gordon Fort, director of overseas operations for the International Mission Board, delivered the message of the service, focusing on missionary work and the role of local churches. “Thank you for supporting our missionaries,” Fort said to the congregation.

The service also included a live video feed with two close associates of the Elliotts who are currently working in the Pacific Rim. Their names and exact location could not be disclosed to ensure their safety, organizers said.

“It’s a humble experience to be a part of this service,” said the man in the live video feed. The woman in the video recounted memories of the Elliotts: “They never thought of themselves as more important than anyone else ... They touched so many lives,” she said.