The first church at Cheniere was held at the Cheniere Creek water’s edge on July 31, 1921, with 21 people present. It was not really a baptist church at this time, but rather a gathering of all faiths assembled together to worship the Lord. The first pastor of our family was Rev. John L. Dodge. Services were quickly reorganized to be held at the old Cheniere School (which is now the location of Nelson & Sons Inc.). The School building was later moved across the road and turned into a general store by A.V. Pendarvis. The church gatherings continued in this building for many years, and pastors were paid from $2.50 – $6.96 per month to preach at the services.
In 1932, the church was reorganized as a Southern Baptist Church. The first official building was erected after a lot was donated by Mr. Harvey Benoit. It is believed that the Benoit family are the ones from whom the name Cheniere derived. The Benoit’s were from south Louisiana, and were of french descent. The word “Cheniere” is a french word which means, “High ground of trees that rise out of water.“
we strive to adopt the meaning of Cheniere (High Ground) as what we want to be for the world. God has assembled this church family at Cheniere to be a haven, a safe place on high ground. We want to bring them to the security that is found in Jesus Christ our Lord. We have seen many brothers and sisters in Christ come and go over the years, as well as many structural changes; but no matter our look, or tactic, the message of the Gospel is unchanging!
