FUMC - West Monroe History

      Prior to the Louisiana Purchase the Protestant religion was prohibited in our area by law. The Catholic religion was considered to be the state religion. After the purchase of the territory of Louisiana, Methodist circuit riders came into our area which was then known as Washita County. The First United Methodist Church of West Monroe was originally the Trenton M.E. Church, South. In about 1850 the first church building was erected in the Claiborne Street area of Trenton (the name of the town prior to being named West Monroe). It is believed that the Methodist Church was the first church in the parish of any denomination west of the Ouachita River. When the railroad was built, it by-passed the town of Trenton. Since the railroad was the center of activity, in 1884-86 the church was relocated to the north 2nd Street location next to the railroad. This building was a wooden one-story structure. Curtains were used to divide the one room into separate spaces for Sunday School Classes. There was a pump organ which was played by Mrs. R.L. Rinehart. Captain John E. Morris was the Superintendent of the Sunday School. William Hart was the minister. The presiding elder was Robert Randle.

      In 1920-21 a red brick sanctuary with Sunday School rooms was erected at the same site next to the railroad. The first wedding in this new building was that of Beth Nixon Harper and Louis F. Rinehart on June 16, 1920. They were the parents of Louise Rinehart Brooks and Beth Rinehart Cox. In 1955 the educational building was constructed. In 1982 the congregation built a new facility on 37 acres which had been purchased on Glenwood Drive near Interstate 20, the present site. The Church continued to grow with the addition of the new Family Life Center in 2001. The First United Methodist Church of West Monroe has an interesting and fruitful history. Since about 1850, services have been held in one of the locations previously described. The only interruption came during the Civil War. About 1868 the predecessor of our church was revived with the appointment of a Rev. Jewel as pastor. In the early days this church served all denominations and both races since it was the only church in West Monroe.

      The success of our church has been made possible because of the contributions of many individuals and families. Miss Alice Henry, Mr. Ponder, and Clarence Faulk were early teachers and leaders of our church. The Millsaps and McClain families gave the land for the North 2nd Street Church. When the church was at that location, Myatt McClendon was Superintendent of the Sunday School and Boley Heron was secretary for many years. Among the teachers were Mrs. Emma Catlett and Mrs. Pearl Collins. Some of the other families who were founders and/or pillars of our church were the Bensons, the Catletts, the Hamiltons, the Harpers, the Henrys, the Hoods, the Hunts, the Kirkpatricks, the McClendons, the Morrises, the Rineharts, the Sutcliffs, and the Tippits.

      The record of pastors dates to 1847. The first pastor was John J. Weems. In 1868, Rev. Mr. Jewel provided leadership in activating the church following the Civil War. Rev. H. W. Ledbetter was the pastor in 1920-21 when the church building was constructed at the North Second Street location. Rev. Robert "Bob" Peyton provided leadership in the relocation of the church to Glenwood Drive. Rev. De Witt "Pat" Ginn was the pastor when the congregation moved into the present church building at the Glenwood site. Pastors during the past years have included R.H. Staples; W.D. Milton; Earl B. Emmerich; Kenneth G. McDowell; Robert L. Peyton; Roy E. Mouser; DeWitt Ginn; Kibbie Harfield; Harry A. Harrington; John Downs; William D. Peeples; Lou Ann Hollis; Ray Rolon Spiller; Karl S. Klaus; Jack Phelps; and Dr. Rev. Spiller Milton.

      The history of the First United Methodist Church of West Monroe is but a prelude to the future. With a proud and rich heritage, the church continues to move forward with plans to meet the needs of its members and its community for the next Century.

First United Methodist Church - 1411 Glenwood Drive - West Monroe, Louisiana 71291
Phone: 318-387-0511     Fax: 318-387-0249     Day Care: 318-361-9059