Grayson United Methodist Church (Grayson, La.)
Biography
Grayson United Methodist Church (Grayson, La.) is located at 5213 Louisiana Highway 126, Grayson, Louisiana.
In 1900, three ministers from Kelly came to hold a revival in Grayson. They met at an old store on the corner of Hines and Oak Streets. C.H. Moore was there from the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and Mrs. M.E. Bartlett and Cliffie Jones were there from the Methodist Protestant Church.
Later that year. Rev. A.J. Vallery led the organization of a Methodist Protestant church. The first church was built under the leadership of Rev. J.C. Hearne in 1906. The building was shared by four denominations: Methodist Protestant, Methodist Episcopal Church South, Free Methodist, and Missionary Baptist. The Sunday School was held together using Union literature.
About 1906, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South was organized by Rev. H.O. White, who came over from Columbia. After meeting once each month for a decade, the congregation built their first church in 1917. The church had been built the previous year in Grayson.
When the Methodist Protestant church burned down in 1934, the larger M.P. the congregation shared the M.E.C.S. church building and they held Sunday School together. The two congregations merged during a 1939 revival led by Rev. E.E. McKeithen. At that time. Rev. Virgil Morris was pastor of the Methodist Protestant congregation and Rev. Rex Squyres was pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South congregation. The third branch of Methodism (M.E.C.N.) was represented by Jim Christian.
A building fund for a new church began in 1942. Rev. E.M. Mouser proved to be a motivating factor in the drive for a new church building. On April 28, 1949, the sale of the old church property was approved. Construction of a new $25,000 church began in May 1949 under the leadership of Rev. George Cagle. The new church was completed and dedicated on September 19, 1954. The Grayson and Kelly congregations constructed a new parsonage in 1966. Classrooms were added in 1973, doubling the available space. In 1992, the Kelly congregation combined with Grayson.
Five ministers have come out of this church: Ira Yeager, Harold Corley, Roy Mouser, Lea Joyner, and W.P. McKeithen.
Grayson 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-36.