[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 58 (Friday, May 12, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E811]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E811]]
 IN HONOR OF BAYOU METO UNITED METHODIST CHURCH ON THE CHURCH'S 125TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARION BERRY

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 11, 2006

  Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise here today to pay tribute to the Bayou 
Meto United Methodist Church in DeWitt, Arkansas, where my parents were 
married, my family and I have attended for more than fifty years, and 
my brother Mark and his family are members. This month marks our 
church's 25th anniversary, a significant milestone for the congregation 
and the entire community.
  The Bayou Meto United Methodist Church was organized in 1881 as the 
Mt. Zion Methodist Episcopal Church South. The original 13 charter 
members chose the southwest corner of the Bayou Meto Cemetery to build 
a small wooden sanctuary of sawed boards. The sanctuary only had six 
windows, four of which were made of glass shipped by boat from St. 
Louis to Crockett's Bluff and hauled by ox wagon to the church site. 
The original building was heated by a wood stove and furnished with 
handmade pews and oil lamps.
  The Bayou Meto United Methodist Church played a prominent role in the 
community during this time, serving as the local school until residents 
could build a school house elsewhere. The first minister, Reverend C.T. 
Thompson, traveled on horseback from Goldman once a month to preach two 
services.
  By 1915, the church community was anxious to expand. Mrs. Joe Webster 
donated one acre of land to the church and local residents moved the 
original building to a new location using horses and ropes. Just four 
years later, the congregation sold the church building as a private 
resident and built a new structure to accommodate the growing 
congregation. The original building still stands about 1,500 feet from 
its first location.
  The new sanctuary included a bell tower and bell donated by a 
prominent Jewish merchant of DeWitt, Mr. T.M. Loeb. Although our 
community constructed Sunday school rooms, a pastor's study, and 
replaced the original church pews, the sanctuary is almost identical to 
the one constructed in 1919.

  The Reverend C.H. Andrews became the church's first resident minister 
in 1939. During his tenure, the church constructed a parsonage, and a 
new education building. The church's current minister, Reverend Jackie 
Gregory, now occupies the parsonage and is the minister for both Bayou 
Meto and Lodge Corner Churches. The congregation continues to worship 
in the sanctuary, and the community frequently holds weddings, 
funerals, reunions, and meetings in both the sanctuary and education 
building.
  The congregation has grown smaller over time as residents leave for 
larger towns, in search of job opportunities, schools, or greater 
convenience. As Lucinda Ax Jacobs wrote in her history of the Bayou 
Meto Cemetery, ``Our Bayou Meto community was settled by former 
soldiers, both Union and Confederate, glad to find peace and a place 
they could build homes, raise families, and make an honest living for 
themselves.'' This phrase remains true for those of us who see this 
community as their home, and intend to remain to raise our families and 
earn an honest living.
  The Bayou Meto United Methodist Church has a long history, marked by 
the community's strong commitment to service. Every single building on 
the church property was constructed by the men in this community 
through hours upon hours of hard work and sacrifice. This spirit is 
unique to our church, and will guide the members in our congregation 
for years to come.
  On May 28, 2006, our community will gather to celebrate the 125th 
anniversary of the Bayou Meto United Methodist Church. I ask my 
colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in 
recognizing this community on this important day in history, and to 
send our best wishes for a memorable service of homecoming and 
remembrance.

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