Blackwater United Methodist Church Celebrates 175 Years

Service and ministry to the community is a long-standing legacy of Blackwater United Methodist Church in Central.

The church will commemorate its rich history while looking to the future with a special “Legacy Forward” event marking 175 years. The three regular services will be combined into one at 10 a.m. Sunday in the main sanctuary, 10000 Blackwater Road.

“‘Legacy Forward’ means that 175 years is great, but our mission is still ahead of us, which is to pass our faith on to the next generation,” said Kennon Pickett, the church’s senior pastor since 2022. “We have a message to share, and until Christ returns, it’s not finished. It’s just a reminder that we have a responsibility to steward everything that God has given us in a way that continues and builds on what’s already been established.”

The speaker for the event will be Bishop Delores J. Williamston of the Louisiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Other guests include the Rev. Karli Pidgeon, district superintendent, and Central Mayor Wade Evans.

“She brought a tremendous energy to the conference,” Pickett said of Williamston, who took over in 2022. “She’s a tremendous preacher and a gifted leader, and she’s one of those people who is completely action-oriented, but she truly believes that we have hope through the message of Christ.”

Following the service, Blackwater will host a potluck and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Blackwater Center for Community Enrichment. The project is part of a $600,000 capital campaign to improve campus infrastructure, renovate the gymnasium and add classrooms, upgrade air conditioning and insulation, and add audiovisual systems.

Pickett said the center would enhance the church’s community offerings with after-school care, homeschooling co-ops and expanded youth and family ministries.

Evangelism has been a part of Blackwater since its founding in 1848, which grew out of a Methodist circuit established to meet the spiritual needs of the community. The Hooper family donated the land and a cemetery. Pickett said Blackwater, which saw the construction of four sanctuaries, was the original church in the area and allowed all denominations to use the space for services.

“Some of our families are five generations,” Pickett said. “What’s great is you really see a pattern of passing down the faith from generation to generation. You see how grandparents and great-grandparents have influenced not only their children but their children’s children, and it’s just beautiful.”

The church’s growth is also remarkable. In the last two and a half years, Pickett said the church has welcomed 130 new members.

“The spirit has just blown and we have a great opportunity to bring hope and the light of Christ to the community,” he said. “We are preparing for a great celebration.”

For more information, visit blackwaterumc.org.