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In 1908, Presbyterian minister J.N. Blackburn, of Houma, urged
church leaders at the presbytery and synod levels to organize a church
in Natchitoches, where so many of the state’s Presbyterian students
attended Louisiana State Normal School.
In response to Rev. Blackburn’s call, a small group of believers
attended evangelistic services at the local Jewish synagogue on June 22,
1910, forming the founding congregation of the First Presbyterian
Church, Natchitoches.
Soon after, we built our first church home just up Second Street from
the campus entrance and set about a task of building a church family.
From the beginning, music and young people made their presence in our
worship and work. Students
and faculty from the local campus and community members from beyond the
school joined together in fellowship and study.
Never a large congregation, but always an active one, through the
years, our members have worked to support a wide variety of mission
work, both local and beyond, including operating an emergency food bank
for those in need, running a community clothes closet, supporting
post-earthquake efforts in many countries, the most recent Haiti.
For many years, we had an active Westminster Fellowship program
for campus ministry work, located at a second site on Second Street.
With the post World War II Baby Boom, our congregation grew in
numbers, as did the community itself, and we started offering
kindergarten classes to answer a growing need in the community.
With that growth came the need for a larger church home, and we
relocated to east Natchitoches, building a new structure on Bienville
Street, in 1962. As
our babies grew up, they went to college and formed their own families,
and our congregation changed over time.
We are now welcoming grandchildren and great-grandchildren into
our fold, but the work of our church family goes on.
Today we continue to provide a church home for university
students and enjoy the presence of NSU students in our choir, providing
beautiful music with the rest of our talented choir members.
We also support the Lady Demon basketball team and CAPA students,
primarily, by offering them food as well as fellowship to keep them
strong.
Throughout our history, our congregation has consisted of a cross section of the wider Natchitoches community; we’ve included plumbers, teachers, students, coaches, law enforcement officers, retirees, young families, professors, military servicemen and women, professional business people, musicians, athletes, and beyond. What has brought us together through the years has been our faith and our need for a community of faith. Our church family has worked to put that faith into action in many varying ways through the years. And the work goes on!
<contributed by Susan D>