Biography

Antioch United Methodist Church (Eros, La.) is located at 347 Antioch Church Road, West Monroe, Louisiana.

About 1840, Lee Henry Dickerson, Turner Woods, A.J. Woods and others began meeting together for services. For about three years, the services were held under a brush arbor. It started as a Baptist church, but over the years has been a Methodist, Baptist, and a Union church.

The first church built by the members was only 14 by 16 feet in size. The walls were split logs and the floor was packed clay. The roof was made of rived boards held on with square headed nails. The pews were split logs supported by pegs. A cemetery was situated behind the church. The preacher would ride to town once a month from 30 miles away, his saddlebags packed with Bibles and other religious material.

It was recorded that one teenage member was excommunicated from the church after horse racing on front of the church one Sunday.

As the congregation grew, a larger building was needed. The old church was sold for $7 to member Huey Sims. Lumber was purchased and a new building was constructed from 1935 to 1938. Using that church as a framework, N.E. Heard led in expanding the existing building in 1942. Attic fans, gas heat, and electricity was installed at that time.

Antioch 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 MO-2.

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