FIRST METHODIST CHURCH
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As the arrival of springtime bejeweled southern Louisiana’s stretch of prairie lands with pastel flowers and fresh clovers in 1887, the sweet melodies of worship could be heard escaping from a small village schoolhouse in the rural community of Crowley Switch.
This season of new life brought with it the promises of hope and new beginnings for the young community’s groundwork, and Reverend H.O. White; a Methodist Pastor of the Rayne and Plaquemine Brulee congregations soon began his divine mission to deliver the good news of God’s promises to the emerging rural Methodist population.
In July of 1888, talk of a strategic aspiration to erect a new church building began to reach out across to village residents by way of the local newspaper. The forty by sixty foot wooden structure would be crowned with a twenty foot cupola ceiling and belfry , and it was no secret that the project would be a great undertaking for the small congregation. With great determination and motivation, church members worked diligently until the project blossomed into completion while under the direction of Reverend Samuel Keener; the new pastor of the Crowley Switch Methodist community.
In December of 1888, angelic choruses of Holiday carols christened the newborn structure for the first time as the Methodist congregation proudly sat upon wooden planks supported by empty nail kegs during Christmas Eve worship service. One month later church members warningly embraced the arrival of their long awaited church pews.
The following spring arrival brought with it the villages first church bell summoning worshipers to Sunday services. The Methodist community proudly hung its first steeple bell on April 10, 1889.
The earliest recorded ceremonies of matrimony performed before the alter of the First Methodist Church in Crowley Switch reveals that the founder of the young village, W.W. Duson joined hands with his bride, Miss Clara May Thayer on February 11, 1893.
Proceeding generations have shared testament throughout the years of ancestral. Methodist pioneers who gathered faithfully each Sunday for the studying of scriptures regardless of availability of a full time pastoral Sheppard. The tiny devoted flock simply matured through a dedicated attendance of Sunday school.
Crowley’s earliest historical milestones of the Methodist community recollects a strong rapport of brotherhood felt between the Methodist and Presbyterian congregations. The two communities had joined together in worship under one roof for a season until the construction of the Presbyterian house of worship in 1894. The separation of the two communities would be one of mutual regret, while the rapport of brotherhood between both congregations would continue to be strongly cherished throughout the passing of time.
The first Methodist parsonage was built in 1897, and was a sixteen by forty two foot, two story structure consisting of eight large rooms, and a sixteen by twenty four foot west wing. The structure rested beside the First United Methodist Church on the corner of Third Street and Avenue I.
On February 23, 1912 the plans for a new church building was underway after congregational members refused to waste anymore money on building repairs. The agley deteriorated structure had served its Methodist congregation faithfully, but had outgrown its possibilities . The old church house was then moved from the corner lot of Third Street and Avenue I, and into the street where for fifteen and a half months it would continue to serve the Methodist congregation while resting in the middle of Avenue I.
In the early morning hours of Thanksgiving Day of that same year the ground was broken during an open air ceremony for the construction of the new church building. White outlined markings proudly defined the structure‘s future resting place, while a temporary stage and benches welcomed visiting protestant ministers as they arrived for the ground breaking ceremony. A large yellow Thanksgiving Day pumpkin provided a safe haven for the generous donations offered up by supportive villagers.
A cornerstone ceremony at the old wooden church house was held at five o’clock in the afternoon on Independence Day of 1913. Placed within a metal box were messages gathered from former pastors of the church congregation, as well as surrounding pastors . A list of all who contributed to the building fund was also included, as well as, copies of the Discipline of the church, the ‘Christian Advocate,’ the ‘Missionary Voice,’ the ‘Nashville Advocate,’ and the ‘Outlook’ by which contained a published photograph of the men’s Bible class,. The minutes of the last Annual Conference found its place amongst the treasured documents to be stored within the cornerstone, as well as a poem memorial of the death of Reverend and Mrs. Atkinson’s little boy, and a copy of the 1913 Fourth of July issue of the ‘Crowley Signal.’ A prayer was offered up by Church Elder, J.I. Hoffpauir before the box was taken from the small wooden church and placed within the stone, and was then sealed shut.
The Crowley Switch Methodist community closed out the year 1913 with a farewell service to the little wooden structure. It had harbored their worship throughout the pioneer years of church community establishment. On December 7, 1913; the first Sunday of Advent faithful members gathered to say their goodbyes, and a poem written by a church member in regards to the little wooden structure was shared and printed in the Crowley Signal. On December 9,1913 an Annual Conference was held in the newly constructed building. The building eagerly awaited its visitors with everything neatly in place except for the secure instillation of church pews. Time had not allowed the final fastening of some of the church pews, and the house began to fill up with anxious Annual Conference delegates. Suddenly the crashing sounds of a unsecured church pew overturning while spilling its unsuspecting victims onto the floor summoned the attention of all who gathered in the sanctuary.
On a cold, January winters day in 1914, the first worship service was conducted in the fully completed church house with four hundred and ninety six members, and the first major improvements to the churches structure would not surface until 1940. A new foundation was placed under the church building, and the ground floor of the church was divided into two Sunday School Departments.
The year, 1940 brought many changes for the Methodist community as a new parsonage was also completed. The prior two story District Parsonage was torn down and some of its material was combined with new material to reconstruct a new parsonage. By the summer of 1940 the parsonage was completed and ready to welcome its occupants. In a movie made during the flood of 1940 the parsonage is seen to be completed and occupied.
The discovery of hazardless deterioration in the churches roof structure on July 18, 1948 by an architectural engineer led to the cancellation of worship services until repairs could be made. The condition of the roof’s structure presented a grave danger of collapsing thereby making it unsafe to occupy.
Once again the Methodist found themselves worshiping thankfully beside their brothers the Presbyterians until their church could be repaired.
The ’Second Generation Plan’ soon evolved from the structural misfortune, and became a season marked with growth and expansion for the Methodist community. As the church celebrated its sixty first year as a congregation and thirty sixth year in the church building on December 12, 1949, the plans for the renovation, repairs and strengthening of the buildings foundation was underway. Major structural additions such as a fellowship hall, Sunday School classrooms, additional offices, a kitchen, Library, Pastors Study and an elevator were to be completed throughout the following three years. A four day celebration became the ‘ground breaking’ ceremony for the ‘Second Generation Plan’s’ kick off.
The actual construction did not begin until September 1951, and upon completion the finished masterpiece was dedicated on Sunday, February 23, 1953.
In the Spring of 1959, the construction of an Educational Building had begun. This would relieve the Sunday School Departments over crowded classrooms. The construction was completed in the Spring of 1960 with reinforced concrete, brick and tile masonry, and central air and heat. It was dedicated on November 28, 1965, with Bishop Aubrey G. Walton, officiating.