Biography

Melville United Methodist Church (Melville, La.) is located at 406 First Street, Melville, Louisiana.

The Melville charge first appears in the 1887 Louisiana Conference Journal, when Jeptha Landrum (who is buried in the cemetery) was appointed to serve the area. He had organized the Melville Methodist Church on November 15, 1886 with 36 members. On April 19, 1887, property on the corner of First and Payton Streets was obtained and the first church was built. After the church was destroyed by a storm, a second church was constructed in 1894 by J.S. Burgess. It was 32 by 50 feet in size with a tower 44 feet high. Wood from the original church was used in the construction.

The 1894 church served until October 2, 1949, when the last service was held there. It was torn down to make room for a new, larger church. While construction took place, services were held in the Melville High School Gym. The minister at that time was Rev. Sam Lantrip.

The congregation concentrated on raising funds for the new building. They sold dinners, wrote letters asking for donations, and had many other fund-raisers. The building was finally completed. The stained glass windows behind the pulpit are from the original church building.

The original parsonage was replaced in 1959 under the leadership of Rev. O.L. Golson. The new parsonage is located behind the church.

Melville United Methodist Church disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church in 2023.

Source: Timothy Hebert, “The Historical Register of the Louisiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church,” (Louisiana: Louisiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, 2004), page AC-30.

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