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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 Hollywood High School where he was A.S.B. President, before serving in the Navy during WWII.

Louis Evans, Jr. was getting ready to enter seminary at San Alisemo 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 the first team to go out, advised by Corrie ten Boom, that included Colleen Townsend, Ralph Hamburger and Walter James. Over the years it grew from youth work-camps into a regular visitation ministry to East-Germany by pastors and lay people, which was a fraternal blessing to all involved. The group came to be known as the “Berlin Fellowship,” or BF. and a group of college age students in the first ever Belgian Fellowship as part of World Deputation team.[3]

Louis and his family moved to Washington to minister at the National Presbyterian Church, where most American presidents have attended services and visitors have included Queen Elizabeth and Mother Teresa.[4] Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy Reagan attended Louis original Bel Air Church in California, as well as the National Presbyterian Church during his time as President.

[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 where the first church gatherings were at the manse (pastor's 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.[5]

Louis wife, Colleen Townesend Evans and a few other Hollywood starlets started the Hollywood Christian Group in 1949 in Mears' home.[6] Original Hollywood Christian Group participants included Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Billy Graham, Colleen Townsend Evans, Jane Russell, Stuart Hamblen, Ronald Reagan [7] and many others, in the living room of Henrietta Mears home, The group was chaplained by J. Edwin Orr from 1949-1951.[8] 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.[9]

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. ^ Sullivan, Patricia (2008-11-04). "Rev. Louis Evans Jr.; Led National Presbyterian Church". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
  5. ^ "It's The Life That Wins | Henrietta Mears". www.henriettamears.com. Retrieved 2015-11-06.
  6. ^ "Fuller Seminary: The Original Five". www.seekgod.ca. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Fuller Seminary: The Original Five". www.seekgod.ca. Retrieved 2015-11-05.
  9. ^ http://www2.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/GUIDES/017.htm#602
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