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Ruston District of the Louisiana Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South records

 Collection
Identifier: LACUMC-Ruston District MECS

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of the minutes of annual meetings (called a District Conference) by the Ruston District of the Louisiana Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. These meetings were attended by the district’s clergy and lay delegates from each pastoral charge; it was presided over by the district's presiding elder.

The minutes document the administrative activities of the meetings and regularly include the following reports: religious and financial state of churches, Sunday School work, missions, and denominational education and literature, and Woman’s Missionary Societies.

Note: the minutes prior to 1913 were lost (Source: 1913-1920 Conference minute book).

Dates

  • 1913 - 1939

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Physical rights are retained by the Centenary College of Louisiana Archives and Special Collections. Copyright is retained in accordance with U.S. copyright laws.

Biographical / Historical

The Ruston District of the Louisiana Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South (MECS) formed in 1908. Prior to 1908, most of the churches that made up the Ruston District belonged to the Arcadia District.

In 1909, the Minden District reported 6,310 members, 19 pastoral charges, and 56 houses of worship. The district consisted of congregations in northwest Louisiana stretching from Plain Dealing to Winnfield.

In 1939 – the year of the denominational merger that renamed this area the Ruston District of the Louisiana Conference of the Methodist Church, South Central Jurisdiction – the district reported 10,598 members, 23 pastoral charges, 70 congregations, and 67 church buildings.

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was transferred by Ruston District of the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church in 1994 and 1996 (acc. no. 1994-015, acc. no. 1996-016).

Title
Finding Aid to the Ruston District of the Louisiana Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South records
Author
Chris Brown
Date
2018
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Centenary College of Louisiana Archives and Special Collections Repository

Contact:
2911 Centenary Blvd.
Shreveport LA 71104 US
(318) 869-5462