BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) – A Baton Rouge church celebrated an incredible milestone today – serving the community for 150 years.

Members of Wesley United Church celebrated the achievement Sunday with a special service.

Reverend Joe Connelly spoke before a packed house. He explained that the church was built in the 1800s for African American Methodists who did not have a church of their own.

Now, Rev. Connelly says the church has served generations of families.

“To have the history, the inner workings of the community, and the families, some of them are still here – with their grand children and great grand children, that speaks volumes to the power of families and the power of destination and the power of vision,” Rev. Connelly said.

Wesley has seen four different locations over the years. The first three were damaged by storms and fires. The current one located downtown on Government Street has stood since 1966.Copyright 2016 WAFB. All rights reserved.