This Week in AG History -- August 13, 1967

Fifty years ago, the Pentecostal Evangel highlighted some key events in the life of Argentina missionary Louie Stokes (1909-1989). 

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Stokes graduated from Beulah Heights Bible Institute (which now is Southeastern University). After graduation, he became a teacher at the school for seven years. While teaching at Beulah Heights, he met Lillian Lalor, who later became his wife. Together they traveled in evangelistic work before serving as dean of men at Central Bible Institute (1938-1940). They were appointed missionaries to Cuba (1940-1949), Argentina (1949-1976), and Panama (1976-1978). 

In Argentina, the Stokeses taught in a Bible institute and conducted a radio program in Buenos Aires called The Voice of Faith. Louie Stokes also held street meetings and published tracts as well as a publication called ID (Go Ye). A massive evangelistic-healing campaign was held in Buenos Aires in 1954 (featuring Evangelist Tommy Hicks) which resulted in thousands of converts. After this crusade, with much work, the Stokeses converted an old shoe factory into a church and had a fruitful ministry in Argentina for the next 22 years. 

The Aug. 13, 1967, Pentecostal Evangel featured some jottings from Louie Stokes’ then 27 years of service in Latin America. One testimony he shared was of a convert named Angel Magliotto who, at age 9, received a miracle. Stokes described, “He had been born clubfooted and suffered much because of his physical condition.” His mother became a believer and brought her son to the altar for prayer. “As a symbol of her simple trust in God, under her arm she carried a package with tennis shoes for the boy,” said Stokes. As he prayed, the answer came as “those twisted feet received a healing touch and later became normal.” Angel later became a native pastor in La Riestra, Argentina. 

In the article, Stokes also reported on three ladies from his church in Buenos Aires who felt led to carry the gospel message to the far northern province of Salta, a thousand miles from the capital. They settled in the railroad center of Güemes, a town of 30,000 people, and began preaching on the streets and witnessing from house to house. Stokes reported that “miracles and healings took place, and within a year they invited me to come and baptize 23 converts.” He also put the new church in order and gave Bible studies when he came to visit. Then, just two years later, Stokes baptized 17 more converts. From that ministry center the believers soon opened up three outstations and sent out workers to preach in different places. Regarding these three ladies, Stokes declared, “I marvel when I observe how the Holy Spirit takes and uses such unlikely vessels.” 

In his concluding remarks, he emphasized, “As I have visited dozens of churches, two outstanding things have impressed me profoundly. One is that almost all of our churches are full, sometimes with people standing for lack of space.” He continued, “The other is the large percentage of young people in the Assemblies of God churches.” He saw this as a source of promise for the future of the work in Argentina.

Read “Anthology of a Missionary,” on pages 8 and 9 of the Aug. 13, 1967, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel. 

Also featured in this issue: 

• “Christ’s Prayer For Unity,” by Theodore E. Gannon 

• “David Recovers His Family,” by J. Bashford Bishop 

And many more! 

Click here to read this issue now. 

Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

Glenn W. Gohr

Glenn W. Gohr is the reference archivist at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center in Springfield, Missouri.