Tribute to a Pentecostal Pioneer
Pentecostal Historical Society
April-June, 2001
Volume 20, Number 3
On February 14, 1911, Thomas Milton Latta, was born. He was one of the early pioneer preachers. Once a Methodist, he was saved because a lady came down the road where he lived in Cherry Valley, Arkansas, and invited him to a Pentecostal brush arbor meeting, where he received the Holy Ghost and was baptized in Jesus’ name.
Later God called him to preach and he attended a Bible school in Louisiana, Missouri, whose president was W. E. Kidson. It was there that he met and married Lorene Mitchell.
Brother Latta was present at the merger of the Pentecostal Church, Incorporated and the Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus Christ in 1945.
He evangelized and pastured churches in Worthington, Minnesota; Kenosha, Wisconsin; St. Charles, South Fort Smith, Starr City, and Heber Springs, Arkansas; Chesapeake, Ohio; Marks, Mississippi; Moline and Creve Coeur, Illinois.
Many people all over the United States who sat under Brother Latta’s ministry are still living for God today. Some are in the ministry themselves.
Brother Thomas Latta is the father of four children, six grandchildren, and thirty-four great grandchildren. His son-in-law is Robert Trapani and his son, Samuel Latta, has been in the ministry most of his life, having preached now for over 49 years. He has pastored several churches in the United States, although much of his ministry during the past twenty years has been in the area of foreign missions. Bro. Sam Latta recently began serving the Foreign Missions Division as missionary evangelist, with the objective of traveling to various foreign fields motivating and encouraging the national workers there.
