A Century of Ministry, Miracles, and Missions

Edgar Bethany, born in 1904, stood up to speak at a Pentecostal meeting in Mississippi when he felt the Lord laying two words on his heart: Bayou Blue. Although he had never heard of such a place, he rose and asked if anyone at the meeting was familiar with the town. Two women who had come to learn more about the Pentecostal movement sweeping through the country stood to their feet and told the young preacher that they were from the Louisiana town.

Bethany asked about the town’s church and if he could come to preach there but was surprised to find out that there was indeed no church in Bayou Blue. It was then that Bethany knew what God was asking him to do; he was to preach to the community and help them establish what is known today as Bayou Blue Assembly of God, a healthy, vibrant congregation that continues to minister to families six generations later.

Officially incorporated in 1924, Bayou Blue predates the Louisiana AG district, mothered from the Mississippi AG district, but has become one of Louisiana’s cornerstone churches and continues to thrive a century later.

Current pastor Patrick “Packy” Thompson and his wife, Janet, have watched the resilience and unstoppable, uninhibited growth of the church for over 30 years.

However, beginning in 2020, a series of events would take place that would test the church and its leadership.

A year after the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, a category four hurricane ravaged Louisiana. With winds reaching speeds of 150 mph, Hurricane Ida left Bayou Blue AG completely devastated. That same year, COVID claimed the life of Thompson’s brother, and two staff members were diagnosed with cancer while another six resigned.

For two years, Bayou Blue met in a Baptist church building, praying for a way around the $3 million estimate for building reconstruction and for God to rebuild the leadership team staff.

Yet despite not having a permanent building, the AG church continued “going and growing,” says Thompson.

And grow they did. When they were finally able to return to a permanent home, the congregation boomed to nearly 440 weekly attendees.

Additionally, the church planted a parent affiliated church (PAC) in the Angola State Penitentiary, the first officially recognized church in a state prison, according to Thompson.

For 15 years, Thompson had been ministering to inmates in a disciplinary camp known as “Camp D”. During one of his visits, a warden suggested that Thompson start a church inside the jail.

“I wasn’t quite sure we could do that, but I called our district superintendent who called George O. Wood, the general superintendent at the time, and he said he didn’t see why we couldn’t,” Thompson recalls. So, the PAC church was launched.

The church is led by an inmate-pastor who is mentored by Thompson, personally, and works under Bayou Blue’s leadership. Inmates who attend services have seen numerous salvations and testimonies, resulting in the soon-to-be launch of a second campus within the prison.

“Our church is so blessed, and the history runs so deep,” remarks Thompson.

But the blessings received are used to bless others. Bayou Blue proudly supports over 50 missionaries a month and started a thrift store to supplement its missions giving capacity. To date, the store has helped the church to donate over $2 million to missions and global missions projects.

Locally, Bayou Blue funds a weekly meal and Bible study for those who are without permanent housing in the community. The church invites all area churches to participate in the Saturday event to help foster a spirit of unity among congregations in the community. Each week, attendees are given the chance to have a hot meal and wash their clothes while we have the Bible study, Thompson states.

Den Hussey, Louisiana Ministry Network’s secretary-treasurer says that the church has been “a beacon of light for Bayou Blue, Houma, and the surrounding communities” and is “the first to offer assistance in a time of need.”

When asked about his journey as Bayou Blue’s pastor, Thompson states that God has blessed him and done so much in his life. “I had a lot of struggles when I was younger and I came from a small country town,” he says, “but God has opened up so much.”

Thompson credits his wife, Janet, and her worship teams for being key instruments in what God is using to continue to grow the AG church. The community of Bayou Blue Assembly of God believers, Hussey says, have done and continue to do great things and are leaving a legacy in Louisiana.