Mission:

Sharing blessings, sharing burdens, sharing the good news of God's grace.

Vision:

We are people of the Cross and Flame: by grace redeemed and redeeming.

We are people of the Good Shepherd: known, loved, and led.

We are Lighthouse people: enlightened and shining in the darkness.

We are people of the Bridge: connected, caring, and changing the world.

History:

Decades before I-210 was built as Lake Charles was expanding to the south and new subdivisions were being built to provide homes for expanding industries, the Lake Charles District of the Methodist Church commissioned a new church.  With a lot of help from First Methodist Church of Lake Charles, the new church became a reality.

On September 28, 1947, in an unfinished building on the edge of a prairie in what was then South Lake Charles, the first worship service was held.  The name University Methodist was chosen because of its proximity to McNeese Junior College, which later became McNeese State University.

University Methodist Church gained national attention when the Christian Advocate magazine nicknamed the church the Miracle Church, because 226 people became members and 17 infants were baptized on the very first Sunday.