The first circuit riders made
their way to Terrebonne Parish in the late 1820's. In 1845, property
was bought and a church built shortly after. In this domain of Catholicism,
the Methodist church was the first church in the parish. Other Protestant
denominations contributed to its construction and used the edifice when
it was free. It was dedicated in 1850. For the first few decades,
the congregation remained small. In 1888, with only 2 members on
the roll, the church property was sold.
In 1907, Rev. Martin Hebert
of the French Mission expanded his circuit to include Terrebonne and Lafourche
parishes. Bolstered by Hebert's success, a pastor was assigned to
Houma the following year. At first, services were held in a variety
of rented rooms ... from a fire station to an opera house. In 1909,
several lots were purchased; one of the homes on the property was used
as the parsonage. In 1914, a house was bought and used as a church.
The house was called the "Green Tabernacle. In 1921, the house was
torn down and a larger brick church was built in 1922 under the guidance
of Rev. F.J. McCoy. The "Red Brick Church" served the congregation
well for 35 years.
By the early 1950's, the membership
needed more room. The Crescent Plantation property along Bayou Black
was bought. The plantation home was torn down and the new church
(called the "Cathedral on the Bayou") was built in 1956. Led by Rev.
Sam Nader, it is one of the largest Protestant churches in the area.
A home behind the church was purchased in 1952 and still serves as the
parsonage.
In 1978, the property between
the church and the parsonage was purchased and an Activities Building was
constructed. And in 1987, the western half of the block was purchased,
so that the entire block is now the property of the church.
The church debt was paid off in the mid 1990s.
Source: Methodism Along the Bayou, Timothy Hebert
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http://www.fumchouma.org/
