Lighthouse Fellowship Church (Buras, Louisiana, USA)
The Venice House Fellowship began in Venice, Louisiana, USA around 1975. George Reno served as the early leader. He was a shrimper, trapper, and boat builder in addition to his pastoral ministry. The group began as a Sunday morning Bible study in a trailer on a property near Reno's home.
Around 1985, when the rental property on which the Fellowship met became unavailable, the group bought a former church building in Buras, Louisiana, at a cost of $4,000.
In the early 1980s, the group changed its name to Lighthouse Fellowship Church. It was part of the Gulf States Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Church (MC).
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated Lighthouse's building in 2005. At one point, the building was totally submerged in water because of the 26-foot storm surge. The storm tore down the front doors, blasted the privacy wall, and scattered the hymnbooks and pews about the newly laid linoleum tile floor. A sidewall supporting the roof was also damaged, and the roof trusses broke in several places. Logs and furniture rested on the damaged roof. The storm also devastated the entire local community, which took years to recover. Mennonite Disaster Service assisted in rebuilding the Lighthouse facility and used it as the headquarters for its continuing work in the community.
The Lighthouse Fellowship Church appeared to cease operations prior to 2020.
Bibliography
"Pastors lead drive to rebuild parish." 10, no. 4 TheMennonite (20 February 2007): 6.
Reno, George and Delphine Martin. Cajun grace: stories of George Reno, fisherman preacher. [Lancaster, Pennsylvania]: James Street Mennonite Church, 2014.
Schrag, Jim. "Resiliency in Gulf States Mennonites." TheMennonite 9, no. 15 (1 August 2006): 22.
Additional Information
Address: 37332 Highway 11, Buras, Louisiana 70041
Phone:
Website:
Denominational Affiliations: Gulf States Mennonite Conference
Mennonite Church (MC)
Mennonite Church USA
Pastoral Leaders at Lighthouse Fellowship Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| George C. Reno (1928-2022) | 1982-1995? 2007-2015? |
| Lay leadership | 1996?-2004? |
| Anthony J. "Tony" Duplessis | 2004?-2007 |
Lighthouse Fellowship Church Membership
| Year | Members |
|---|---|
| 1984 | 25 |
| 1990 | 27 |
| 2000 | 12 |
| 2009 | 12 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | November 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Lighthouse Fellowship Church (Buras, Louisiana, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2023. Web. 27 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Lighthouse_Fellowship_Church_(Buras,_Louisiana,_USA)&oldid=177762.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (November 2023). Lighthouse Fellowship Church (Buras, Louisiana, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 27 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Lighthouse_Fellowship_Church_(Buras,_Louisiana,_USA)&oldid=177762.
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