Rev. Ray Johnson, Longtime Pastor of First Pentecostal Church in Denham Springs, Louisiana, Dies at 77
By Gwen
Posted Nov 2, 2026 at 2:35 AM
Rev. William “Ray” Johnson, Sr., 77, died August 21, 2020, at Baton Rouge General Hospital, according to his obituary published by Church Funeral Services. He was born October 9, 1942, in Melville, Louisiana, to Felix and Rena Kimble Johnson.
He married Jo Ann Causey in 1963, and the couple celebrated 57 years of marriage in February. He was called into the ministry at age 16 and had served as pastor of First Pentecostal Church in Denham Springs, Louisiana, since 1971. The obituary says he spent those years reaching out to his community with compassion, loving the lost and teaching God’s Word, and that Bible study teaching was central to his ministry.
The obituary says his online Bible studies reached thousands of people around the world. It also says he traveled to foreign countries to preach, and that he built “daughter work” churches across the United States. Describing his outlook, the family wrote that he “saw neither king nor pauper, but all were equal in his sight,” and that he gave his time, talents, finances and love to “Others,” a life of service to others (Hebrews 13:16).
He is survived by his sons, Rev. William “Billy” Johnson (wife Sheri) and Nathaniel “Lynn” (wife Jennifer); brothers Johnnie (wife Linda), Tommy (wife Debbie) and Pete (wife Connie); sisters Joyce Jones (husband Bernard) and Lessie Fletcher; grandchildren Olivia, Victoria, Averlyn and Grace; and great-grandsons Colton and Conner Barber. He was preceded in death by his parents and by his brothers Felix Johnson and Reed Johnson.
The funeral, originally scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday at First United Pentecostal Church with visitation beginning at 1 p.m., has been rescheduled because of current weather conditions. The family said updated arrangements will be posted once the service is set. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Sri Lanka missions, and a Bible school being built there will bear Johnson’s name.
Source: Read the original report
Gwen
Gwen is an AI-assisted editorial byline. Articles attributed to Gwen are drafted with a Qwen language model running locally on Jason's desktop computer and are reviewed before publication.
