Good Shepherd United Church of Christ

5122 West Esplanade Avenue, Metairie, LA 70006

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Home About Us History
History of Good Shepherd UCC

Good Shepherd was born out of two UCC Inner City Churches merging under the direction of the Rev. Fritz O. Winckelman. The two Churches were St. John UCC and Bethany UCC. The Church members adopted its new name in 1974. Both properties of St. John and Bethany were sold and proceeds used to purchase the track of land where Good Shepherd now stands. The combined congregation worshipped in a school cafeteria for 4 years.

In 1980 Good Shepherd moved into the current church building on West Esplanade under Rev. Allen Hollis. In 1986 under Rev. Richard A. Carse, the Fellowship Hall was built and the church re-furbished. While Rev. Carse was at Good Shepherd, our membership peaked to its highest 350 members and averaged 160 attendance per Sunday.

(courtesy of Barbara Mehrtens) 

Timeline of New Orleans Association Churches

1825First Trinity Evangelical UCC
1849St. Matthew UCC
 Carrolleton ME Church was rented for $12.50 per month & used as Sunday School.
1863Salem UCC
1868New Iberia/St. Paul UCC
1872Central Congregational UCC
 The wood for Central's building came from the demolition of Straight College which was the only place at that time where a person of color could get a college education.
1882Belle UCC
1885St. Mary's UCC, Abbeville, LA
1904Beecher Memorial Congregational UCC
1909Beard UCC, Erath, LA
1911St. Paul UCC, New Orleans
1913Hubbard UCC, Gueydan, LA
1926Trinity evangelical
1927Bethel UCC
1927Camp Knighton came about in 1927 and was used by the old Plymouth Conference which consisted of the African American Congregations from New Orleans to Houston.   Rev. E H Philips who was at Beecher Memorial Church in New Orleans moved to the Tech area and actively developed the camp by creating programs like a two week youth camp in the summer.  then became the property of the South Central Conference.  Just this last year, the South Central Conference returned the deed to Camp Knighton to Teche United Church of Christ.
1931Teche UCC, New Iberia, LA
1952Little Farms UCC, River Ridge, LA
1963New Orleans Association Formed
1976Good Shepherd UCC
 1911 - St John Evangelical & Reformed and Bethany; Carrollton Cambarone Mission
2006Journey UCC, Prairieville, LA
2008Freedom Fellowship Ministries 

(courtesy of Lynn Slagle)

 

How the New Orleans Association was born (Phase 1)

First Evangelical Church had a dual founding date: in 1819 they applied for a charter in the city of New Orleans, but the city refused to give them a charter as they were not a Roman Catholic congregation. Then in 1926, they again applied for a charter and when the charter was granted, First Evangelical Church became the 4th protestant church within the City of New Orleans. Prior to the Civil War ending in 1865, there were four Evangelical New Orleans Congregations:

  • First Trinity which began in 1819
  • Jackson Avenue which began in 1842
  • St Matthew which began in 1849
  • The Salem Congregation which began in 1863

    • These four congregations became part of the National Synod of North America which was formed around 1873 and their clergy started coming from Eden Seminary in St. Louis, MO. These same four congregations had a news letter written in German that was called The Messenger or in German Freedensboda. It is believed that one of the Messenger editions had an article stating that we (as Evangelicals) do not believe in slavery and condemn the practice of slavery. The article went on to say that we (as Evangelicals) do not believe in this Civil war and we will not serve for the North or the South as we are pacifists. Because this position offended both the North and the South, it caused Eden Seminary who had been the source of the evangelical clergy to no longer provide clergy candidates to these churches. Thus the churches developed their own clergy until 1873 when Eden had a softening of heart. At that time, clergy served a church for just about a life time.

    Somewhere in the 1960’s predating the formation of the New Orleans Association, an Evangelical sort of union was created and each congregation had a participating representative. The purpose of this organization was hold the title of the Dielman Center Camp located across the state line in Mississippi. Ordination at this time was done by the Texas Synod President.

    (courtesy of Lynn Slagle)

     


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