Centenary United Methodist Church (Rayne, La.) records
Scope and Contents
This collection documents the activities of Centenary United Methodist Church (Rayne, La.). It includes membership records, administrative records, committee records, historical records, and records from Branch United Methodist Church (Branch, La.).
The administrative records include quarterly conference records, charge conference records, Administrative Board and Board of Stewards records, property records, and architectural drawings. The quarterly conference records contains references to other nearby congregations: Roberts Cove (1891-1894), Plaquemine Brulee (1895-1898), Branch (1915-1938), Church Point (1891-1898), Praire Hayes (1891-1894), Long Point (1891-1894), and Hundley School House (1891-1894).
Charge conference records from the 2000s include material from Indian Bayou United Methodist Church (Indian Bayou, La.).
The committee records include material from the Women's Society of Christian Service, United Methodist Women, Wesleyan Service Guild, Methodist Men, and Sunday school records.
The historical records include a church history, photographs, and newspaper clippings.
The Branch United Methodist Church (Branch, La.) records consist of a membership book (1912-1968).
Dates
- 1884 - 2018
Creator
- Centenary United Methodist Church (Rayne, La.) (Organization)
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
Centenary United Methodist Church was located at 308 North Parkerson Street, Rayne, Louisiana.
In the early 1880s, the widow of Dr. W. H. Cunningham donated a city block to the Methodist Church. In 1883, an Opelousas District Quarterly Conference was held by the Kimball Chapel (Indian Bayou) and Plaquemine Brulee (Branch) churches. Led by the Presiding Elder, Rev. Christian Keener, a resolution for the construction of a church in Rayne was adopted. Construction of the new church began the following year, in 1884. Bishop Keener (Christian's father) later presided at the dedication. The church was named "Centenary" because it was built on the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Methodist Church in America.
A Sunday School and a Women's Parsonage and Home Mission Society were soon established. In 1919, a building (known as the "Hut") was constructed under the leadership of Rev. E. C. Gunn. The building served as a meeting place for the church's organizations, including the Men's Bible Class. A new parsonage was built in 1951 and dedicated four years later. The history of the Centenary Church was recorded by Mrs. W. F. Johnston (1924) and again by Mrs. H. A. MacDonald (1955).
Centenary United Methodist Church was discontinued and abandoned in 2018.
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-3.
Extent
4 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Arranged in five series:
1. Membership records, 1884-2018
2. Administrative records, 1891-2018
3. Committee records, 1900-1966
4. Historical records, 1955-2018
5. Branch United Methodist Church (Branch, La.) records, 1912-1968
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Transferred from Acadiana District Office (Lafayette, La.) by Chris Blanchard (last pastor of Centenary UMC) in June 2019.
- Administrative records
- Architectural drawings (visual works)
- Branch United Methodist Church (Branch, La.)
- Church records and registers -- Louisiana -- Acadia Parish
- Clippings (information artifacts)
- Financial records
- Histories (literary works)
- Indian Bayou United Methodist Church (Indian Bayou, La.)
- Methodist Church (U.S.). Louisiana Conference (South Central Jurisdiction)
- Methodist Church (U.S.). Louisiana Conference. Woman's Society of Christian Service
- Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Louisiana Conference
- Minutes (administrative records)
- Photographs
- Property records
- Sunday schools
- United Methodist Church (U.S.). Louisiana Conference
- United Methodist Women (U.S.). Louisiana Conference
Creator
- Centenary United Methodist Church (Rayne, La.) (Organization)
- Title
- Finding Aid to Centenary United Methodist Church (Rayne, La.) records
- Author
- Beth Vogler, Jasmine Jones, and Chris Brown
- Date
- 2025
- 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