BATON ROUGE - The Wesley United Methodist Church celebrated 159 years during Sunday's service.

The church was founded in May 1866. Reverend J.C. Richardson says the church has evolved since its beginning, becoming a pillar in the community.

"You've had a number of things regarding voting, regarding the ability to be citizens of the nation, but still and yet, we're here. We did not give up. We're still here and we're never going to give up," Rev. Dr. J.C. Richardson said.

The pastor said that while the building may have changed throughout the decades, it has always been on Government Street.