Fish Bayou Baptist Church, Franklin Parish, LA Submitted by Rhonda Scott Lord 25-Jun-2001 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Fish Bayou Baptist Church: Fish Bayou Baptist Church is located on Hwy. 640 in the community of Swampers, Louisiana. The church was formally organized in 1911, but some church meetings were held before that time. The church sessions were held in the one room school, Fish Bayou School. I.J. Brooks was called as the first pastor. The first Superintendent was J. Welch as well as being the first deacon. Mrs. Della LaBorde was elected as the first secretary and J.D. Scott was the church clerk. Notes are sketchy but some of the first members were C.A. Anderson, the Abbott family, Geo. Cathey, W.A. Dunham, Claude Gordy, Mrs. Claude Gordy, the Moore family, John Lee, Sallie Little, Bella LaBorde, Della LaBorde, A.M. Scott, Nannie Scott, W.W. Scott, Leila Scott, R.H. Scott, Mrs. Scott, J.D. Scott, John Welch, Mrs. John Welch, Harland Welch, Lee Welch, Richard Welch, Miss Nellie, Mr. Silas, Mrs. Silas, S.C., Miss Lillie, Wheatley Grayney, and Gladys Grayney. On September 9, 1911 the church joined the Bayou Macon Baptist Association with the first delegates being John Welch, W.A. Dunham, and W.W. Scott. Services were held on regular basis unless bad weather or community illness. Around 1942, a church building was built on land donated by Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Scott. In 1943 electricity was installed. Around 1953 a bigger church building with Sunday school rooms was built on land donated by Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Scott and Mr. and Mrs. D.A. LaBorde. Mr. and Mrs. Curtis Sutherlin, Ross Sutherlin, and C.E. "Slim" Merritt along with other church members donated the timber for the building. Mr. C.E. Sutherlin's sawmill was used to saw the logs into lumber for the building. This is the present building. Other changes have been made through the years, such as central air and heat, a baptistery, and carpet in the auditorium. In 1997, a steeple was purchased in memory of past members.