Thirteen charter members founded Mount Zion Methodist Episcopal Church South in 1881 and built a small wooden church in the southwest corner of Bayou Meto Cemetery. The building had handmade pews, oil lamps, and a wood stove, and it also served as the community's school. Rev. C. T. Thompson, the first minister, rode on horseback from Goldman, near Stuttgart, once a month to preach two services, and circuit-riding ministers continued to serve the area until 1939. In 1915, Mrs. M. A. Webster sold the church one acre of land across the road for one dollar, and teams of horses moved the building to its current location. By 1919, the congregation had outgrown the original building, which was sold, and men of the community built the current church, including a bell tower and bell donated by T. M. Loeb of DeWitt. In 1936, electric lights replaced the coal oil lamps, and a narthex, office, Sunday School rooms, and stained glass windows were added later. In 1968, the congregation changed the church's name to Bayou Meto United Methodist Church. Throughout its long existence, the church has remained an integral part of the community, performing baptisms, marriages, and funerals and hosting the annual Family Homecoming, Easter Sunrise Service, and Bible School.