Our Heritage
The Pentecostals of Loranger claims its beginning in Acts 2, which is agreed upon by all groups as the official birth date of the Christian church. We hold the conviction that true believers continue to grow until they are born again of water and Spirit confirmed by a supernatural language, as exampled in Acts 2. We answer questioning seekers with the same instructions Peter gave to those who believed on Jesus in Acts 2:37. He answered: “…Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38)
We believe the same birth of water and Spirit experienced by those first believers is God’s promise to everyone and is vital to any Christian’s growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
Throughout history those who practiced and defended this original blueprint were martyred–their voices suppressed. But we support that the original Apostolic practices continued, nonetheless.
In January of 1901, seekers from many denominations met in a Bible school in Topeka, KS. Why? To pray for the Holy Spirit outpouring they read about in Acts 2. They prayed and fasted for days. Finally, the Spirit fell on them as it did on believers in the beginning. Holy Ghost revivals sprang up everywhere. Misunderstood and persecuted, their numbers continued to grow. These ‘tongue talkers’ were called ‘Pentecostals’.
We belong to the United Pentecostal Church International. The UPCI was formed in 1945 by two merging groups: The Pentecostal Church and the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ. Currently, the UPCI has a presence in 143 nations, is comprised of approximately 4 million constituents, with over 4,100 churches and more than 9,000 ministers. We are committed to spread this Apostolic message locally, nationally and internationally. Our local church joins with those in our denomination to support home and foreign missionaries to minister where the message is yet to be heard.
Our History
This humble beginning started in a living room as a home friendship group that was started from The Pentecostals of Lee Road church under the direction of Bishop Rick Maricelli and his wife Donna.
In 2006, under the guidance of Bishop Rick Maricelli and his wife Donna Maricelli, the pastor of Lee Road church, Pastor Denny and Michelle were sent to work with the small Bible study group in Loranger.
As the group continued to grow, we went from meeting in a home to meeting in a local fire work stand in the community.
Due to challenges with having to move out during “firework “season, we began to search again for another place to meet for services. This would lead us to move into the American Legion Hall in Loranger.
The group continued to grow and we began meeting on Sunday nights and Wednesdays. This Bible Study group had quickly evolved into a Church.
The American Legion Hall gave us more room to grow but it also had its challenges. Because the hall was rented out from time to time, we had to set-up and take down before and after each service.
After being at the American Legion hall for about two and a half years, they decided to make some improvements to the hall which caused us to have to find a new location to meet.
It was at this time that we begin having our services at the Lighthouse Ranch for Boys chapel located there in the Loranger Community. This was a huge blessing both to our church family and also to the boys at the Ranch. It gave us a steady place to have our services so we did not have to set-up and take down. We continued to have services there for two years, in which time we worked on raising money to build our own building.
In the fall of 2008, we purchased five acres in Loranger on Milk Plant Road, to build a church. In January 2016, the day finally came that we moved into our beautiful building that God blessed us with.
Our Present
Pastor Denny and Michelle continue to work in the Loranger Community to grow this Apostolic Church God has placed in that community.
Today we have a THRIVING church that has a place for anyone and everyone. From the youngest to the oldest, you will find something you can connect to.
We are committed to make a difference in the Loranger Community and Tangipahoa parish area.
We are an active part of our community and provide a welcoming place for new people. We are a growing place for all people and have a loving church family who worship together every week in passionate praise and worship.
We are expecting great things in Loranger Community.
We are a church in the heart of the community, with a heart for the community.
You Belong Here!