Louisiana Methodist Children's Home
Biography
The Louisiana Methodist Children's Home was founded as the Louisiana Methodist Orphanage in 1906
by the Louisiana Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Operated for a short time in
Bunkie, Louisiana, the facility moved to Ruston, Louisiana, during summer 1908.
Children lived at the orphanage’s residential facilities, assisted with work at the institution’s farm and
dairy, and attended local schools. The facility was primarily funded through donations by Louisiana
Methodists and Ruston community members.
In 1941, the orphanage was licensed by the state of Louisiana. In 1958, the facility began operating
under the name “Methodist Children’s Home.” In 1977, the facility received full certification from the
Certification Council of Health and Welfare Ministries of the United Methodist Church.
In 1993, the Board of Directors changed the corporate name to “Louisiana United Methodist Children
and Family Services, Inc.” to reflect a transition toward providing additional services for children and
families across the state. In recent years, the organization has developed additional facilities: Outdoor
Wilderness Learning Center (Dubach, La.) opened circa 1990, Methodist Children’s Home of Greater
New Orleans (Mandeville, La.) opened 2006, and Methodist Children’s Home of Southwest Louisiana
(Sulphur, La.) opened 2010. In 2015, Methodist Foster Care was developed to provide therapeutic
foster care for children.