Pastor Shawn Moses Anglim is the founding pastor of First Grace United Methodist Church. The well-known church is located on the corner of Canal Street and Jefferson Davis Parkway in Mid-City. In this interview, Pastor Anglim discusses the difference between Catholicism, New Orleans’ predominant religion, and the Methodist faith. He describes the beginnings of his beloved church: “First Grace United Methodist Church was founded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina with the merger of the historically Black church, “Grace”, and the historical White church, “First.” The pastor notes that each church had something valuable to offer, and so First Grace United Methodist Church was born.
Pastor Anglim is also the founding executive director of First Grace Community Alliance. The Alliance has two missions. Hagar’s House is a residence for women and children, and Project Ishmael is a legal clinic for immigrant children. In addition to his many duties, Pastor Anglim also reaches out with compassion, respect, and understanding to the many homeless and low income people in the neighborhood.
Listen to the podcast here.