BATON ROUGE – Baton Rouge has long been called a city of churches, but rarely has its faith community witnessed a parallel journey as remarkable as this. Two local pastors—leaders from two of the city’s largest and most influential congregations—were diagnosed with the same aggressive cancer just months apart. Both were told their diagnoses were dire, both underwent grueling treatment, and both say they are alive today because of two things: modern medicine and unwavering faith in the healing power of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Loren Larson, associate pastor and professor at Jimmy Swaggart Bible College, and Pastor Terry Franks, Highland Campus Pastor at Healing Place Church, had never imagined that their lives would run along such a harrowing parallel. Yet their testimonies now stand as a united proclamation: “What was once a death sentence, God has turned into a miracle.”
Pastor Loren Larson’s Journey: “Days away from disaster”
For Loren Larson, 66, a longtime pastor at Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, the first sign of trouble came in November of last year. He was preaching, teaching, and leading worship as he had done for decades when he started experiencing sudden disorientation.
“I drove off into a median and popped a tire,” Larson recalled. “Luckily, my son was right behind me and helped me. But the confusion kept coming. I’d walk through the halls of Family Worship Center—where I’ve been for forty years—and suddenly not know where I was.”…