Methodist preachers first held
services in Leesburg (as it was known then) as early as 1848 in private
homes. Services were later held in the schoolhouse and the courthouse.
The first appointed minister
on record is Rev. John B. Shearer in 1931. The church purchased property
from Alexis Daigle and built their first church in 1933. The church
property increased in 1944, when J. Austin Davis deeded two lots to the
church. Construction on a parsonage was begun in November 1947.
New facilities, including a
sanctuary, fellowship hall, and classrooms, were completed in 1948.
The church was named the Wakefield Methodist Church in memory of George
Wakefield.
A decade later, an annex was
constructed (1957) that added classrooms and a kitchen. But just
a few months later, on June 27, hurricane Audrey destroyed the church.
While constructing the new church, the congregation met at the Wesley Foundation
at McNeese and at the Cameron Parish courthouse.
By November 1957 the parsonage
had been built; some of the materials from the old church were used in
its construction. Property was purchased from J.A. Davis and Ashburn
Rous for a new church. In February 1958, the education building
was completed. The sanctuary was completed later that year, in October.
A dedication service was held May 5, 1963 with Bishop A.G. Walton leading
the service. In 1995, repairs and painting were applied to the church. |
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