History of Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home

First site of Louisiana Methodist Orphanage in Bunkie, Louisiana

For more than 110 years Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home in Ruston, Louisiana, has met the needs of Louisiana’s vulnerable children and families.

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s the Methodist Church in Louisiana became concerned with the large number of children who were without parents or homes. Their desire to provide food, clothing, shelter, and the love of Christ for these orphaned children led to the creation of the Louisiana Methodist Orphanage in 1902.

In 1904 the first residence was opened in Bunkie, Louisiana. That same year, forty acres of land in Ruston were deeded to the Orphanage Board. In 1906 the Orphanage was relocated to the Ruston community, which today is our permanent location.

Our history is one of resilience, determination and strength. Read about unique events in our past such as Lightning Strike, 1941, Complete Abandonment, and Historic Frustration.

As Society has Changed, We Have Changed.

An obvious example is that due to changes in the needs of children we have served in the last century, we are no longer an orphanage. In the early 1930’s, a trend began, and by the 1940’s we were providing increased care to children from broken homes. In 1958, this trend had so changed our program that the Board of Directors renamed the Orphanage the Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home, a name more descriptive of the needs we served. In 1993, the Board of Directors changed the corporate name to Louisiana United Methodist Children and Family Services, Inc. to reflect our transition toward providing a broader array of services to children and families across the state.

A 1911 postcard given to children for their correspondence with family and friends.

Louisiana United Methodist Children and Family Services is a non-profit corporation which is owned by the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. The relationship between the Louisiana Conference and the organization is detailed in Statement of Relationship.

Funding for operations is provided from three major sources. Revenues are generated from payment for services from the state agencies and private families who contract with us for residential treatment services for the youth in their custody. A second source of funds are the direct contributions made from individuals and churches who believe in our mission and who choose to support our ministry. Third, our operations are supported by interest on invested funds that are in a permanent endowment.

The control of Louisiana United Methodist Children and Family Services is vested in a Board of Directors which has overall responsibility for the property, finances, and operation of the institution. The Board is responsible for the selection and oversight of a President/CEO. The Chairperson of the Board, President of the Corporation, all officers of the Board and all Chairpersons of Standing Committees of the Board serve as an Executive Committee and meet on call.

In communities throughout our state, Louisiana United Methodist Children and Family Services provides an array of services including intensive residential treatment, family preservation, educational and prevention services.