Sweetlake United Methodist Church (Bell City, La.)
Biography
Sweetlake United Methodist Church was located at 5180 Louisiana Highway 397, Bell City, Louisiana.
Methodism began in the area when Rev. Joe Berwick preached in the area in 1891 . Four local boys were converted and later became ministers. They were: brothers Willie and Martin Hebert, Dallas Hayes, and Daniel Hayes.
The church was organized on December 20, 1908. The first pastor, Willie Hebert, served the church from 1908 to 1929. The first services were held in a one-room schoolhouse east of the Catholic Church given to the church by Mrs. H. G. Chalkley, Sr. A six-room parsonage was built at that time.
After the 1918 hurricane destroyed the schoolhouse building, services were held in private homes. Permission was later obtained to use another one-room schoolhouse to the north.
A dedication service, led by Rev. Martin Hebert, was held on November 11, 1956. New pews and other additions were dedicated at that time.
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Helms gave the church an acre of land in 1959. In 1998, the home of the Walter Helms family was remodeled and dedicated as the parsonage.
Plans for a new church began during the pastorate of Rev. Garland Dean in the mid-1950s. The new church was completed in 1963 under the leadership of Rev. Hubert Gibbs.
In June 1998, Sweet Lake became a station appointment with a full-time pastor. In the fall of 1999, the church began work on a Family Life Center and parking improvements.
The church opened a local mission ministry (Faith Share Outreach) at a separate location in mid-2002. The ministry provides food, clothes, furniture, and medical equipment to families in need. It works together with Domestic Violence, Community Action, and the Council on Aging programs in the parish.
With increasing growth in the local community, the church continues to seek ways in which to witness and serve.
Sweetlake United Methodist Church disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church in November 2022.
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-48.