Louisiana AHGP

Part of the American History and Genealogy Project

Gerald W. Trussell

Brother Trussell served as pastor of Homer Baptist Church from March, 1946 to May 1952. He was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas on October 7, 1911 and found responsibility at an early age. When he was a very young boy, the teacher of the tiny country school he attended offered him ten cents per day to come early and stoke the fires. This same teacher let out school one day so that the children might attend the revival being held at the church next door. It was at that revival he was saved and baptized in the nearby creek. Eight years of schooling was considered plenty in that part of the country during those days, but when he was offered a job as school janitor, he realized he could attend high school and then work his way through college. Much of the work he did was as a hot tamale vendor and working in a fish market.

He surrendered to preach when a junior in college and went to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. It was during his time at seminary he met and married Elizabeth Tinnin, daughter of Finley W. Tinnin who served as editor of the Baptist Message for thirty-eight years.

He and his wife are the parents of a daughter and a son. He had pastorates at First Baptist of Clifton and Garden Villa of Houston, Texas, First Baptist of Warren, Arkansas, Southside Baptist of Shreveport, Louisiana and First Baptist of Hope, Arkansas. After retirement, he did interim work in the Shreveport area.

Rev. Trussell's brother, Joe served with him as singer in sixty-seven revivals. During most of these, Mrs. Trussell played the piano as she did in most of their churches. During his ministry he has conducted fifteen funerals, married three hundred couples and baptized around fifteen converts. It was during the tenure of Brother Trussell the church raised the money to buy a car for the use of Betty and Harvey Headrick, missionaries to Brazil. Betty Headrick, who was reared in the church, fondly recalls the well-used car which she and her husband named the "Homer Messenger." 39

Biographical Sketches| Claiborne Parish | AHGP

Source: Author's Notice: I hereby give permission for the free dissemination of any and all material included within the book and permit any non profit use of that material. Should any agency wish to use the material in a profit context, permission must be secured from the church body of First Baptist Church, Homer, LA 71040.  By Barbara Smith, Homer, Louisiana.