Biography

First United Methodist Church was located at 903 Broadway Street, Minden, Louisiana. In the early 1830s, Rev. Richmond Randle held a camp meeting at Sulphur Springs, six miles from Minden. Over those early years, there were eight congregations that formed in the area. They were served by circuit riders. Rev. Randle would later serve the Minden church (1845-1847, 1850).

The town of Minden was founded in 1836. The next year, Rev. Sidney Squires was appointed pastor and Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Drake donated property for a church. The first church in town was soon built. With necessary repairs made through the years, it served the congregation for seven decades.

In 1905, a new church was built while Rev. T. J. Warlick served as pastor. The semi-gothic design made of the “best St. Louis hydraulic pressed brick” had seating for four hundred and fifty people.

A parsonage was built in 1915, under the leadership of Rev. W.W. Drake. It was replaced by a new parsonage in 1955 while Rev. Dan R. Robinson served as pastor. The current parsonage was acquired in 1998 under the leadership of Rev. Tom Lowe.

A children’s building was constructed in 1964 while Rev. Merlin Merrill served as pastor. Rev. Kirby A. Vining was pastor when the activities building was built in 1973. In 1988, a new sanctuary was constructed under the leadership of Rev. Bob Burgess.

Though some seventy pastors have served the church over the years, those with the longest tenure were Rev. Merrill (1958-65) and Rev. Burgess (1984-90).

First United Methodist Church disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church in May 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 SH-50.

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