The church was first planned by District
Superintendent Hubert Gibbs in 1951. He made arrangements to purchase
six lot on the corner of 3rd Avenue and 17th Street for $6,000. The
first pastor, Rev. Theodore Weber, was assigned in June 1951. The
first services were held at the City Recreation Building and at the Wesley
Foundation at McNeese. Music was provided by a small organ that Rev.
Weber transported in the back seat of his car.
Work began on August 12, 1951
with the groundbreaking ceremonies. By Christmas eve, a service was
held in the shell of the new church. The church was organized on
March 1, 1952 with 76 charter members. A Sunday School was organized
the following month. First Methodist and some of the congregation
donated chairs for seating, though some children sat on empty ammunition
boxes from the Chennault Air Force Base.
The first parsonage, a small
two bedroom house on 13th Street, was purchased in September 1953.
By 1955, the church was growing outside of its facilities. Classes
were meeting in neighborhood garages. The first church organ was
purchased that year. A new parsonage at 2305 17th Street was purchased
in September 1956.
Hurricane Audrey in June 1957
cause damage throughout the area, including blowing off most of the church
roof. An educational wing was added the following year in 1958.
When the Channault Air Force Base closed at the beginning of the 1960s,
the church lost quite a few members.
The year 1962 saw the addition
of new equipment (new organ, piano, P.A. system) and a lighted cross.
A parking lot was set up on the east side of the facilities in 1972.
On October 20, 1974, a service was held to burn the church mortgage.
Additional work was done and the sanctuary was completed (and all pews
refinished) in 1977. A steeple was added later in the year, along
with a stained glass window behind the choir loft. The next major
remodeling occurred in the mid 1980s, when the kitchen, bathrooms, and
classrooms were remodeled. The pastor’s study and secretary’s office
were moved at that time. The memorial prayer garden was completed
in the church courtyard in April 1990. |
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