Mission Statement of SLS
SLS Shall:
† Enourage all to accept Jesus Christ,
† Excite all to be disciples of our Lord,
† Equip all for ministry in the name of Jesus,
† Empower all to use their spiritual gifts!
HISTORY of SLS
The history of our church began on a Sunday afternoon at 3 o'clock, March 2, 1890. Rev. C. A. King preached his first sermon in Lake Charles to a congregation of 19. The Church was organized in the old Masonic Hall and held services there for nearly eight years.
In 1898 property was acquired at the comer of Pujo and was known as the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Lake Charles. From this date, through 1938, this congregation grew to be one of the strongest churches in the Gulf Coast Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the "northern branch" of Methodism.
In 1939, the Methodist Episcopal Church; the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Methodist Protestant Church united at the uniting conference held in Kansas City, Missouri to form The Methodist Church. At this time, this church changed its name to the Simpson Methodist Church, the name of a popular bishop of an earlier period. Since it was the smaller of the two downtown Methodist Churches, it was felt that Simpson would do better in a new location. Many attempts were made to move and success came when the first unit of a new facility was built on property that had been acquired at 1611 Hwy 14. The church moved into its new home on November 14, 1954.
In 1956 the property at Pujo and Moss Streets sold to the federal government for $52,000 which enabled the congregation to build a second unit. In 1959 the third unit was completed. This building was fully paid for and dedicated in May of 1962. Simpson had grown from 239 to over 600 members by 1965.
By the 1950's the center of the city was rapidly expanding southward and it was deemed necessary to begin a new Methodist congregation to minister to the people moving in to the University area. The National Board of Missions of the Methodist Church purchased property on Jefferson St. in 1956. Rev. Taylor Wall was appointed as the first St. Luke pastor in 1957. The Congregation met in the Wesley Foundation building at McNeese State University. The church was officially organized January 15, 1957 and held services in its new building on Jefferson Street on February 3, 1957.
St. Luke-Simpson United Methodist church held its first service with the merged congregation on April 24, 1983 at the Jefferson St. site. Dr. Charles B. Simmons was the first pastor of the united congregation. Under the leadership of Dr .Tommy Dunbar, the current 17 acre site on Country Club Rd. was purchased and a new building was begun in the summer of 1988. The first service on Country Club Rd. was held on April 16, 1989. In April of 1990, the congregation observed its 100th anniversary of service to Lake Charles. Under the leadership of Rev. James Humphreys, the addition of a gym fellowship hall and youth building were completed.
Today, St. Luke-Simpson United Methodist Church has become a leading congregation in the community. Under the leadership of its present pastor, Rev. Karl S. Klaus, and associate pastors, Rev. Henry Bowdon, Jr. and Rev. Roger Templeton, St. Luke-Simpson seeks to serve the needs of the rapidly growing southern area of Lake Charles. The church has a rich heritage in faith and has a promising future in ministry in the years to come.
Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church
General Board of Discipleship (Resources For Church Leaders)
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