Algiers United Methodist Church at 637 Opelousas Avenue in Algiers Point, New Orleans, combines Sunday worship with care for families and neighbors. Its identity is shaped by a 1922 Colonial Revival sanctuary, a weekly Children’s Time, congregational music, childcare for young families, food support, and sustained conversation about racism.
From a Sabbath School to a Historic Sanctuary
The story begins in 1840, when Mr. Smiley, a Presbyterian, began a Sunday school in the old Duverje plantation home. Algiers UMC was organized from that Sabbath school in 1844 and may be the oldest Christian congregation on the west bank of the Mississippi River within the New Orleans area. Its first pastor was a former sea captain. Known as Good Hope Chapel until 1847, the congregation was then chartered by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.
The first building stood near the riverbank on property donated by J.B. and Alix Duverje Olivier. In 1857 the bargeboard structure was abandoned and a second church was erected at Delaronde and Lavergne Streets. Known as the Finger Up Church, it was destroyed by the September 19, 1915 hurricane.
The present property was purchased in 1916, and the sanctuary was dedicated in March 1922. War bonds purchased by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South during World War I were donated to help build the Colonial Revival church. The construction included a Moller pipe organ and classroom and meeting space in the half basement. The Dr. A.C. King educational building was added in 1955, with a belfry holding the 1883 fire bell donated by the Ship Carpenters and Caulker’s Union. Facetted glass windows designed by New Orleans glass artist Milton Pounds were installed during a 1979 renovation.
Each move marked a new stage for a congregation rooted in its neighborhood: a riverbank beginning, a building at Delaronde and Lavergne, and the Opelousas Avenue property that remains its home. The church offers activities and classes for all ages, with worship, spiritual growth, and service to the Algiers community at its center.
Sunday School at 10, Worship at 11
The regular Sunday rhythm begins at 10:00 a.m. with Sunday School, which runs until 10:45, followed by worship at 11:00. The church is open, and the 11:00 service is livestreamed on Facebook. Sunday gatherings include a sermon, an anthem, hymns, and a weekly Children’s Time. Sunday sermons, children’s messages, and choir anthems are also available through the church’s YouTube channel.
Children are welcome to take part in worship, not only attend a separate class. The weekly Children’s Time is a special part of the service for children and adults alike. Pastor Callie uses everyday experiences to interpret biblical stories in ways children can understand. A parent who is an early childhood educator describes her approach as age appropriate and says she helps children grasp biblical truths while bringing smiles to the congregation. Younger children can use play boxes during the service.
Coffee Corner is at the back of the sanctuary, with regular and decaf coffee, cream, and cookies ready before worship. Visitors can carry a cup into the service, return for a refill, or enjoy coffee afterward. The congregation describes the coffee gathering as an easy way to meet and sip before the first hymn.
Hymns, Anthems, and the Algiers Choir
The sanctuary was built with a Moller pipe organ, a detail that fits the congregation’s strong use of hymns, anthems, and choir music. The church’s recorded repertoire includes “The Bread We Share,” “Go Down, Moses,” “I Saw the Light,” and “Somebody’s Knocking at Your Door.”
Sunday recordings pair the sermon and children’s message with an anthem, making the church’s musical worship audible beyond the sanctuary. The Algiers Choir is directed by Elaine Dishman, while Charlotte Hemard directs the Algiers Bell Choir. The bell choir and the Confetti Kids Choir also appear in recorded anthems such as “Carol of the Bells” and “Somewhere in My Memory.” Other selections include “As We Come Together” and “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”
Care for Children and Young Families
Mother’s Day Out is a childcare and early learning program for children ages 1 to 5. It runs from the Tuesday after Labor Day through Memorial Day in May, and enrollment is intentionally kept small. Sessions meet on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with a half-day option from 9:00 a.m. to noon.
Children have play time, music and stories, and a color or craft activity each day. They bring their own lunches and eat together, while full-day participants have quiet or nap time. The program gives families a few hours each week for errands, appointments, or personal time, and its stated purpose is loving childcare and the education and nurturing of children in the Algiers Point community. The church says young children learn by doing and experiencing, and it uses play, music, art, and stories to affirm that each child is a treasure from God.
Algiers UMC also gives weekly meeting space to Confetti Kids, a grassroots nonprofit that enriches children’s lives in Algiers Point. Confetti Kids helps maintain local parks and creates child-focused programs and events. All activities are open to the public and invite neighbors to build a stronger, more connected community. Vacation Bible School has also been part of the church’s program life, with activities for children and families.
JOY Club and United Methodist Men
JOY, or Just Over Youth, is a monthly luncheon gathering for people over age 50. It meets at 11:30 a.m. on the second Wednesday of each month for a meal and a program, with a $6 donation requested to help cover the meal’s cost. Peggy May plans the meal and program. The United Methodist Men are another part of congregational life, gathering for breakfast fellowship centered on good food, conversation, and welcome to longtime members and new guests.
Canned Goods, Free Goods, and the Noisy Offering
Food collection is tied to a monthly rhythm. On the first Sunday of each month, “We Can Sunday” gathers canned goods and nonperishable foods for the Li’l Free Pantry in the 600 block of Opelousas Avenue. Donations are welcome on any Sunday. Additional food is kept at the church and shared with neighbors who ask.
The Great Giveaway begins with collection throughout the year of clothing, shoes, toys, books, movies, and household items. Each fall, the church opens the collection as a community event resembling a giant garage sale, with one important difference: everything is completely free. Free vaccines and health screenings are offered at the event, and a jambalaya dinner is available for purchase.
Another distinctive service moment comes on the fourth Sunday, after the children’s message. Children collect change in small metal pails, creating the “joyful noise” that gives The Noisy Offering its name. Every dollar goes toward items for Manna Bags, which provide food and care to people in need, and the offering also supports mission projects in the community. The church presents the offering as a reminder that even small gifts can make a meaningful difference.
Financial gifts can be made online. The church says contributions help preach the gospel, make disciples, support neighbors, and assist the local food bank and members of its church family.
United Against Racism: Study, Reflection, and Action
Algiers UMC grounds its work against racism in the United Methodist commitment made at baptism and confirmation: to accept “the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.” The church says that commitment includes standing against institutional racism and white supremacy. Its position is direct: “Racism is un-Christian. Period. Full-stop.”
The United Against Racism group invites people to engage with readings, videos, and discussion questions on white privilege, implicit and explicit bias, the history of racism in Methodism, institutional racism, and allyship. Its resources include “Understanding White Privilege,” “Love Your Neighbor AND Yourself,” “Twisted Roots: History of Racism in the Methodist Church,” “Institutional Racism,” and “Where do we go from here?” The study considers how individuals and systems contribute to racial inequality and asks participants to examine both their own assumptions and the wider community.
The final phase asks what concrete ideas people can put into practice in their own lives and in the church family. It considers the desegregation work of former Algiers pastor Rev. Andy Foreman and closes with a responsibility to acknowledge the past, recognize that mistakes continue, and keep working toward justice. The church emphasizes that greater understanding can help people recognize implicit bias and choose more constructive action.
Welcoming Weddings in the Historic Sanctuary
The church welcomes weddings in its sanctuary and provides wedding guidelines and fees through its wedding information. Its location near the Compass Point event venue, the French Quarter, and the central business district makes it a practical ceremony setting. The sanctuary’s history, Moller pipe organ, facetted glass windows, and adjoining educational and meeting spaces form the backdrop for those ceremonies.
A Church with Room for One More
Algiers UMC describes its congregation as both historic and attuned to people’s lives and lifestyles. The church says there is always room for one more in the church family. Its story, begun with an 1840 Sunday school and sustained through more than a century and a half, remains centered on worship, spiritual growth, service to the Algiers community, and the conviction that a church should be “Large Enough to Serve, Small Enough to Care!”