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Gerald Archie Mangun (March 11, 1919 - , June 17, 2010) better known as G. A. Mangun. He is remembered for building one of the largest churches in the United Pentecostal Church International organization, in the city of Alexandria, Louisiana.

Early Life

Mangun was born in LaPaz, Indiana to Walter Mangun and Bertha Birk Mangun. He was one of seven children; Woodrow Riddle, Mildred (Mangun) Shock, Gladys (Mangun) Starkweather, Grace (Mangun) Coleman, Dr. Ruth (Mangun) Holland, and Martha (Mangun) Spencer. After graduating from Lincoln High School in Plymouth, Indiana, in 1938, G. A. Mangun attended Apostolic Bible Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was ordained as a minister in 1942.

Legacy

On September 10, 1943 he married Vesta Layne Gibson. For just a little over seven years, this couple traveled extensively across the United States sharing the Gospel message. Their only son, Anthony, was born in January of 1950.

In June of 1950, G. A. Mangun was elected Pastor of the First United Pentecostal Church in Alexandria, Louisiana (now known as The Pentecostals of Alexandria). At the time, the small church building at 16th and Day Streets was the church home to a congregation of 38 adult members. Today, the church campus on Rapides Avenue includes a Family Life Center, the G. A. Mangun Center; an auditorium and education building, and a main sanctuary seating 2,500.

From 1951-2007, he served as the Presbyter over United Pentecostal Churches in the Louisiana District’s Section 7, comprised of approximately 35 churches in the Central Louisiana parishes. As Presbyter, he served as a member of the District Board of the Louisiana District United Pentecostal Church. He became the longest tenured District Board member in any District in United Pentecostal Church history, a record still unbroken. Following his retirement, he was named as an Honorary Member of that Board.

While leading his local church, and serving on various committees and on the Board of the Louisiana District, Bishop Mangun also served the United Pentecostal Church International as a member of the Foreign Missions Board from 1982 until the present. In 1986-87, he served a single term as an Executive Presbyter of the UPCI General Board.

Commemorating Bishop Mangun’s 70th birthday, then City of Alexandria Mayor Ned Randolph declared March 11, 1989 “G. A. Mangun Day” in Central Louisiana. In 2002, the Louisiana National Guard presented G. A. Mangun with a Civilian Service Medal for his service to our community and nation. In September 2004, he was inducted into the United Pentecostal Church International’s “Order of the Faith,” – a prestigious award of the UPCI honoring Bishop Mangun “for outstanding achievement and exemplary service.”

During Mangun's almost 60 year tenure as pastor of The Pentecostals of Alexandria, his congregation became most known for its music and a production known as Messiah. ^[1] President Bill Clinton and Hillary attended once while he was governor of Arkansas, and he made a return visit during his presidency. ^[2] Peter Jennings attended the production while researching the ABC special Peter Jennings Reporting: The Search for Jesus.^[3]

Community Service

Over the course of his lifetime in Alexandria, he served as Chaplain for the Louisiana State Police (Troop E), the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Department, and the Civil Air Patrol. He is a long-standing member of the Rapides Parish Airport Authority and the Alexandria Port Authority. He also served as a member of the St. Francis Cabrini Hospital’s Advisory Board. He officiated at the first burial in Alexandria Memorial Gardens.