The oldest black church in New Orleans, the First Street Peck Wesley Methodist Church, is celebrating its 176th anniversary. (Ray Tyler/NYT Institute)

The oldest black church in New Orleans, founded before the Civil War as the Lafayette Mission, celebrated its 176th anniversary on Sunday, gathering its members under the theme  ”Giving Our Best.”

“So many positive things have happened to the church, we just want to give our best to him,” said the Rev. B. Lance Eden, senior pastor of the church, now known as First Street Peck Wesley United Methodist Church.

Over the years, the church has survived several name changes, and more recently, a three-way merger after Katrina, which ultimately led to a larger congregation.

Members began the celebrations on Friday with a banquet and fashion show in the multipurpose building of the church,  at 2309 Dryades St. During the festivities, congregants were divided into four “generations”:   builders, boomers, busters and bridgers.

“We are multigenerational church feeding the needs of all and many,” Eden said.

With 14 tables of seven apiece, the builders, those born prior to 1946; boomers, those born from 1946 to 1965; busters, those born from 1965 to 1983; and bridgers, those born from 1983 and thereafter, conducted a “generational celebration” in which the groups were asked to dance the way they used to, to the songs that came out during that time period.

“I love the closeness of the church,” said Caroline Bowers, a   ”boomer” who is president of United Methodist Women in the New Orleans district, before dancing to The Temptation’s “My Girl.”

During the banquet, prepared by church members, an appetizer of tossed salad and gumbo was followed by baked chicken, rice pilaf, seafood pasta, green beans and assorted dinner rolls. An array of cakes finished off the meal.

The fashion show, with members of the church as models, was divided into three categories: sportswear, “Sunday’s best” and formal gowns. Styles ranged from two-piece bathing suits and tennis whites to coordinated family ensembles and colorful full-length dresses.

During a break in the show, Amina Woods, a “bridger,” performed an inspirational dance in a flowing white gown.

The weekend’s celebrations honored a long history of a resilient congregation in New Orleans.

In 1833, the church was begun as the Lafayette Mission. By 1848, it became known as the Winans Chapel, named after the Rev. William Winans, the pastor at the time. The church became the First Street Methodist Episcopal Church in 1865.

In 1866, First Street became the home of the Thomson Biblical Institute. It later became part of Thomson University and merged with Straight University.  In 1873, it became New Orleans University, which later became part of Dillard University.

“Most of our members are Dillard graduates,” said Eden, who is a third-generation graduate of Dillard with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mass communications and a minor in philosophy.

The present church was constructed in 1894 and was modeled after the Christ Church Cathedral on St. Charles Avenue.  In 1936, a parson house and educational building were constructed.

In 1946, two lots were purchased across the street for expansion and third lot was purchased in 1965.

In 1972, the church was designated as a Historic Landmark Site in the city. The multipurpose building was constructed and the sanctuary was renovated in the mid 1980s.

In 2005, Katrina proved to be turning point for the church.

“After the storm, five congregations worshipped here,” Eden said. He added that while two churches – People’s United Methodist Church and Mount Zion United Methodist Church – wanted to go back a start anew,  two others – Peck United Methodist Church and Wesley United Methodist Church -decided to merge to form First Street Peck Wesley United Methodist Church.

Katrina caused a lot of damage to the other churches, said Eden, whose church received only “minimum damage” and two feet of water. “We saw a need to merge.”

With the merger, Peck brought approximately 70 members while Wesley contributed 15.

First Street has seen a significant increase in membership since the storm, Eden said. Before the hurricane, the church had 75 members; now there are approximately 475.

“We were blessed,” he said. “Our membership tripled.”

The final speaker at the service on Sunday summed up the celebratory weekend. Dr. Percell Church Jr., guest speaker and senior pastor of Zion United Methodist Church, told the assembled crowd – from the builders to the bridgers – that they had been “singled out for glory.”