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A
small group of Methodists established the congregation in September 1853.
At this time, a prayer group met at the Venn and Thistlewaite homes in
Ludlow. In 1857, Wesley Methodist Church became a part of the Kentucky
Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
The congregation began constructing a church on the north side of the
400 block of Oak Street in c. 1857. The project was halted due to the
lack of funds. This building was brought to completion by the Odd Fellows
Organization. The Wesley congregation met in this hall until 1889 when
the current Gothic Revival church was completed on the south side of the
400 block of Oak.
In 1927, the congregation built a Sunday school addition to the rear of
the church. The addition consisted of two classrooms and a basement kitchen.
Paul Hauck built the addition, which cost $7,500.00. The addition was
dedicated in January 1928.
Like most Ludlow churches, the congregation reached a peak in membership
during the 1950s and early 1960s. Since that time, the congregation experienced
declining membership.
In 1983, Wesley Methodist hired its first female minister - Patricia Johnson.
In 1989, the congregation celebrated the 100th anniversary of the construction
of their church building.
Despite its small size, the congregation remains an active and vibrant
presence in the community.
Kentucky Post, January 28, 1893, p. 1, January 6, 1928, p. 6; News Enterprise,
May 31, 1989. |
