Biography

Oak Park United Methodist Church was located at 1800 Orchid Street, Lake Charles, Louisiana.

The church was first planned by District Superintendent Hubert Gibbs in 1951. He made arrangements to purchase six lots on the corner of 3rd Avenue and 17th Street for $6,000. The first pastor, Rev. Theodore Weber, was assigned in June 1951. The first services were held at the City Recreation Building and at the Wesley Foundation at McNeese State University. Music was provided by a small organ that Rev. Weber transported in the back seat of his car.

Work began on August 12, 1951, with the groundbreaking ceremonies. By Christmas Eve, a service was held in the shell of the new church. The church was organized on March 1, 1952, with 76 charter members. A Sunday School was organized the following month. First Methodist (Lake Charles, Louisiana) and some of the congregation donated chairs for seating, though some children sat on empty ammunition boxes from the Chennault Air Force Base.

The first parsonage, a small two bedroom house on 13th Street, was purchased in September 1953. By 1955, the church was outgrowing its facilities. Classes were meeting in neighborhood garages. The first church organ was purchased that year. A new parsonage at 2305 17th Street was purchased in September 1956.

Hurricane Audrey in June 1957 caused damage throughout the area, including blowing off most of the church roof. An educational wing was added the following year in 1958. When the Channault Air Force Base closed at the beginning of the 1960s, the church lost quite a few members.

The year 1962 saw the addition of new equipment (new organ, piano, P.A. system) and a lighted cross. A parking lot was set up on the east side of the facilities in 1972. On October 20, 1974, a service was held to burn the church mortgage. Additional work was done and the sanctuary was completed (and all pews refinished) in 1977. A steeple was added later in the year, along with a stained glass window behind the choir loft. The next major remodeling occurred in the mid 1980s, when the kitchen, bathrooms, and classrooms were remodeled. The pastor’s study and secretary’s office were moved at that time. The memorial prayer garden was completed in the church courtyard in April 1990.

Oak Park was discontinued and abandoned in 2009.

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-38.

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