History of Our Church
On June 5, 1887 our Methodist Episcopal Church South was organized by 10 people and the first meeting/service was held in a one room school house in West Crowley. Rev. H.O. White, the pastor at Rayne, would travel to town to hold services.
W.W. Duson donated a lot, and construction began on the first church (of any denomination) in Crowley on October 8, 1888. The Houma church had been sold that year, and provided some of the funds. The first service was held on Christmas eve that year. The church wasn’t completed, so members had to sit on planks. The wood structure was completed by February 1890 at the corner of Third Street and Avenue I. In the old building there was a wooden spiral that contained a large bell that would be rung to alert the surrounding neighbors that it was time for church. By 1909, the congregation had outgrown the church. Plans were made for a new $30,000 church and ground was broken on Thanksgiving Day 1912. The little wood frame building that had served it's purpose so well was moved into the street on Avenue I. Services were still held in that building while the new church building was being constructed. On January 31, 1914 the first service was held in our current building. There were 496 members at that time. Eleven stained glass windows, made in St. Louis of German glass, were installed in the church. The pipe organ, which was installed in 1913, became worn during the years. So in 1965 it was decided to replace the organ and to remodel the chancel. The new pedal organ, with twenty-four ranks of pipe, was dedicated on February 18, 1968. |