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Louis Evans Jr.

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Louis Hadley Evans,Jr. was born June 20, 1926. He died at the age of 82, on Oct. 29, 2008 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease) at his home in Fresno, California.[1] Evans was one of four children of Marie and the Rev. Louis Hadley Evans Sr., pastor of 1st Presbyterian Hollywood.[2] Louis graduated from High School before serving in the Navy during WWII.

Louis Evans, Jr. was getting ready to enter Fuller Theological studies when a young man by the name of Ralph Hamburger, who the guys referred to as “Cheesy” joined the college group.  He was partly Jewish and had survived WWII through the Dutch underground. Ralph’s deep hatred of the Natzi’s after watching hundreds of people being carried away by the Natzi’s, and then later working in the underground of Holland, helping Jews escape persecution, challenged his growing faith in Christ. While at Forest Home retreat Ralph was transformed and healed. He felt led to helping with reconciliation with war torn Belgium. Louis Evans, Jr. led Ralph Hamburger and a group of college age students in the first ever Belgian Fellowship as part of World Deputation team.[3]

[SS1]Tumbling Walls by Walter E. James. Pg. 3

[SS2]Tumbling Walls,page12

Louis, Jr. was the Organizing Pastor of Bel Air Church in Bel Air, California which started in his home in April 1956.

Louis Evans Jr.'s ministry was influenced by Henrietta Mears who was the Christian Education Director of 1st Presbyterian Hollywood where Louis' father was pastor. Mears led several of Louis Evans, Jr.'s friends to evangelism and ministry including Bill Bright, and Richard Halvorsen.[4]

Louis started the Hollywood Christian Group with Henrietta Mears in 1949 in Mears' home.[5] Original Hollywood Christian Group participants included Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Billy Graham, Colleen Townsend Evans, Jane Russell, Stuart Hamblen, Ronald Reagan [6] and many others, in the living room of Henrietta Mears home, The group was chaplained by J. Edwin Orr from 1949-1951.[7] This group, the Hollywood Christian Group is where Billy Graham met radio personality, Stuart Hamblen and other members of the Hollywood Christian Group including the Evans' who visited Graham on location at the Los Angeles crusade. Up until this point, Graham was doing regional crusades successfully, but his numbers were not reaching the masses until Stuart Hamblen reported about Grahama's crusades. Once this happened, Graham's crusades exploded in numbers and became national news.

Louis Evans, Jr. spoke regularly at Billy Graham's early crusades.[8]

References

  1. ^ Sullivan, Patricia (2008-11-04). "Rev. Louis Evans Jr.; Led National Presbyterian Church". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  2. ^ "The Rev. Louis H. Evans, organizing pastor of Bel Air Presbyterian Church, dies at 82". latimes.com. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
  3. ^ James, Walter E. (1990). Tumbling Walls. United States: Diaspora Foundation. pp. 3, 12. ISBN 0962704806.
  4. ^ "It's The Life That Wins | Henrietta Mears". www.henriettamears.com. Retrieved 2015-11-06.
  5. ^ "Fuller Seminary: The Original Five". www.seekgod.ca. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  6. ^ Turner, John G. (2009-11-30). Bill Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ: The Renewal of Evangelicalism in Postwar America. Univ of North Carolina Press. ISBN 9780807889107.
  7. ^ "Fuller Seminary: The Original Five". www.seekgod.ca. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  8. ^ http://www2.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/GUIDES/017.htm#602
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