Bethel United Methodist Church was established in 1856 by French Huguenot families through the consolidation of Lodebar, Rembert, Clark, and Sardis Methodist Churches, all dating from the early settlement of Sumter District. Its first minister was Rev. Bond English, and its trustees were James W. Rembert, W. F. Deschamps, Leonard Brown, Dr. Henry I. Abbott, Alex M. Watts, D. A. Foxworth, M. T. McLeod, N. S. Punch, and Rev. Henry D. Green. Members donated materials and both free and slave labor to build the sanctuary, which was completed in 1858 under the supervision of James W. Rembert. In 1887, galleries were removed and ceilings lowered, and in 1951 Sunday School rooms were added. The community had first been named Lodebar for a nearby camp ground founded in 1787, was renamed Bethel for the church in 1856, and has been known as Oswego since 1890.