CHURCH HISTORIES Terrebonne Parish, LA PENTECOSTAL - FIRST PENTECOSTAL CHURCH Submitted by: Cynthia Daigle Source: The Houma Daily Courier and The Terrebonne Press, Houma, LA. Last modified: 11 MARCH 2008 ================================================== NOTE: Most histories were submitted by the church to the Houma Daily Courier and The Terrebonne Press as part of the newspapers Sesquicentennial Edition. Not all churches submitted histories. ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** ================================================== PENTECOSTAL - FIRST PENTECOSTAL CHURCH Location in 2007 - 215 South Hollywood Road, Houma, LA The Houma Daily Courier and The Terrebonne Press Houma, LA, Oct. 8, 1972, Sunday, Section E FIRST PENTECOSTAL CHURCH TENT SERVED EARLY GATHERINGS The First Pentecostal Church began as a result of the burden and desire of Rev. and Mrs. Charles W. McMichael. There was not a church in the Houma area preaching the message of Pentecost as established and set for in the Bible in Acts Chapeter two. It was their heart-felt desire, under God, to establish such a place of worship. In 1952 they set about the task of founding another place of worship in Houma. The first service conducted was a Sunday School service. It was held on June 7, 1952. The meeting room of the Terrebonne Parish school board had been secured for the place of the first service. This first service was attended by seven people. Immediately after this first service a tent was secured. It was under this ten that a revival was conducted on West Main Street, near where the First Baptist Church is presently located. This tent served as a meeting place for some six weeks. The services were then moved back to the School Board room. In 1953 the property where the church is presently located, West Main and Holly wood Road, was secured from Southdown on a 99 year lease arrangements. It was in the summer of that year that construction of the present building started. Construction was finally completed in the summer of 1955, and the building was dedicated that year. Officiating in the dedication service was Rev. C.G. Weeks, superintendent of the Louisiana District of the United Pentecostal Church. He was assisted by Rev. George L. Glass Sr., presbyter of Section Seven of the Louisiana District. Rev. McMichael resigned as pastor of the church and moved from Houma in August 1956. The Sunday School attendance at that time had increased to about fifty. Rev. G.W. McKeithen assumed the pastorate of the church and remained until 1963. It was during this period of time that the land being leased from Southdown was purchased. This purchase was accomplished in 1962. A small dwelling house was also purchased and moved onto the lot adjoining the church. This house was remodeled and enlarged to serve as a parsonage for the church. In 1963 Rev. Lloyd Lowery became pastor of the church and remained until 1965. During these early years the growth of the church was somewhat offset by the transitory nature of the Houma area population. It was in September 1965 just after hurricane Betsy, That Rev. and Mrs. M.K. James with their son Keven, and daughter Melissa, moved to Houma as pastor of the church. This year, 1972, Terrebonne's Sesquicentennial, marks their seventh year as pastor of the First Pentecostal Church. During this seven years God has given the church a one hundred percent increase in Sunday School attendance. The church has enjoyed this increase in addition to the many that have moved on to other places. Present facilities are now outgrown. Recently a mobile home and a portable building have been obtained to help accommodate the Sunday School growth. In addition to the steady growth in membership and Sunday School attendance, the church felt the need to expand its ministry of the "gospel truth about the gospel message". A weekly radio program was started on Sunday March 19, 1967. Since that date "The Old Time Religion" has been heard at 8:45 each Sunday morning on radio station KJIN. Presently additional land is being purchased from Southdown. This purchase consist of a nice two and one half acre tract located on South Hollywood Road. The church now plans to erect a new and larger place of worship on this new site. It is our prayers that this will be accomplished in the near future. In the past twenty years the First Pentecostal Church has acquired many friends and benefactors among the residents of Houma. For this we are grateful.