Prospect United Methodist Church (Florien, La.)
Biography
Prospect United Methodist Church (Florien, La.) is located at 1401 Prospect Road, Florien, Louisiana.
Beginning in the mid 1800s, Mrs. Marcellus Branch started a church on her plantation southwest of Florien. In 1861, the membership consisted of eight people. In the mid 1860s, the location was changed to a piece of land donated by Mrs. Branch (at Victoria, near Columbus on the Sabine River). By the end of the decade, services had stopped because of the lack of members. The Victoria property (except for the cemetery) was sold in 1974.
Some services were held in the early 1870s at a log cabin a few hundred yards away from the present church. The congregation reorganized about 1871-72. A new church was built by W.F. Sandel in 1874 for $75. It was used as a church on Sundays and as a school during the week. In 1904, William Sandel donated four acres of land to the church. The current church is located on that property.
Led by the Missionary Society, the idea for a new church began in 1920. The church members tried building it themselves, but their attempt came crashing down after the framework was put up. The new church, which included several classrooms, was finally completed in 1930 under the leadership of Rev. L.E. Crooks. It was dedicated on November 23, 1938 under the leadership of Rev. B.H. Andrews.
In the early 1960s, the congregation decided to build a parsonage.
In 1973, the congregation began plans for a new church. A brick church was completed by the following year under the leadership of Rev. Charles E. Scott. The first service in the new church was a dedication service on January 20, 1974. The new facilities also included a fellowship hall, kitchen, bathrooms, and a pastor’s study. Additional classrooms were added in 1988.
Prospect United Methodist Church closed in 2013.
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 LC-43.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Hornbeck United Methodist Church (Hornbeck, La.) records
This collection primarily documents the activities of the Hornbeck United Methodist Church (Hornbeck, La.). The collection includes membership records and administrative records. The membership records are photocopied facsimiles. The administrative records also contain information about the nearby Prospect United Methodist Church (Florien, La.).