Larry Davis

David Larry Davis was born on April 28, 1950, in Laurel, Mississippi, to Clarence F. and Ruby Stringer Davis. He was the last child born to this family which numbered seven children. They were active in the Apostolic faith and church and were an incredibly talented family in music and singing.

First grade for Larry was in Taylorsville, Mississippi, but by second grade the family had moved to Pascagoula, where he attended school and graduated from Pascagoula High.

As a child, Larry felt the call of God upon his life. It is said that he was preaching to kids in second grade about receiving the Holy Ghost before he received it himself. At the age of 12, in a tent revival, at the fairgrounds in Pascagoula, he received the Holy Ghost. W.E. Gamblin, from Orange, Texas, was the evangelist. Throughout school, he was asked to give devotions and was a witness to his classmates.

At the age of 15, he received his General License in Jena, Louisiana, from The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ which is now The Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ. At the age of 17, Larry, Steve Wilson, and Nathan Carroll were ordained together.

After graduating high school, Larry attended Texas Bible College in Houston, Texas, for one year then transferred to Pentecostal Bible Institute in Tupelo, Mississippi, where he received his bachelor’s degree in theology. While there, he played piano and was music director for the orchestra. It was during this time that he met a neighboring pastor’s daughter, Debbie Hill, whose dad, G.H. Hill pastored the Nettleton Pentecostal Church. Debbie, her brother and sister-in-law, Larry and Bonnie Hill, sang in a trio, and he was asked to play the piano for them. On November 26, 1971, Larry and Debbie were married at Nettleton Pentecostal Church. In 1974, their daughter, Cassandra, was born. In 1985, twins were born to them, a boy, Jordan, and a girl, Miranda.

Larry came into the UPCI in 1970 and was given a General License even though he had already been ordained. His pastor at that time felt that he had been too young to be ordained. After a few years, he was ordained again.

After marriage, Larry and Debbie began to work in the Nettleton Pentecostal Church. They were called upon for all types of jobs, from teaching Sunday School to Youth Director, leading the Junior Crusaders, cleaning the church, fund-raising, nursing home ministry, and jail ministry. He played piano and his wife played the organ and directed the adult choir and children’s choir.
In 1972, Larry became assistant to the pastor and on February 16, 1981, the church elected him as Assistant Pastor of the church. On April 11, 1983, he was elected as Associate Pastor, and in 1992, he was elected as Senior Pastor. He served in this capacity until 2017, when he became Bishop and his son, Jordan, became Pastor.

Over the years, Larry served Section 2 as Youth Director for several years and as Men’s Ministry Director. He has written several songs, played piano for many occasions, including concerts with well-known Southern Gospel groups, and even Grandpa Jones. For years, he taught both children and adults piano lessons and did piano tuning.

Pastors that Larry was privileged to have were: Hulon Sanford, his brother-in-law; Bobby Ritchey; Buford Miller; and his father-in-law, George H. Hill. Some of his fond memories were being privileged to minister in Jamaica, El Salvador, and Honduras.

Larry Davis is a great husband, wonderful father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, a loyal friend, compassionate pastor, and steadfast servant of God. Presently he is serving as Bishop of Nettleton Pentecostal Church in Nettleton, Mississippi.