Grover C. Lout

Rev. Grover Cleveland Lout was a Pentecostal leader from Shreveport Louisana and the father-in-law of Rev. Jack Moore,[1] William Branham's close associate and business manager.[2]  In 1927 Lout organized the first Pentecostal Assembly[3] in Shreveport, the "Pentecostal Christian Church" later named "Faith Tabernacle"[4] as well as other Pentecostal churches in Louisiana.[5]  Lout was the secretary of state for the Pentecostals in Louisiana,[6] and held Pentecostal revivals as far as Fort Worth, Texas.[7]

In 1931 Lout was asked to do "special police work" for the Shreveport police force to "clean up" Shreveport.  Police officials asked Lout to attend meetings of the Shreveport Ministerial Association, and report back to Commissioner T. C. Dawkins.[8]  Lout claimed that he did so on a salary basis, which city officials refused to pay.[9] Mayor J. G. Palmer ruled that Lout's arrangement was illegal and in violation of the Civil Service Act and rules.   According to the police commissioner, Lout's work with the police gained the city "far more money" that was paid to Lout, suggesting that Lout's spying on community religious leaders resulted in fines or property.[10]

Due to his position and rank in the Pentecostal faith, Lout would have been a target for Roy Davis as Davis worked to establish not only his Pentecostal Baptist Church of God Sect, but also as Davis worked to establish what would later become a strong foothold in Shreveport for his Original Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.  Shreveport / Bossier City was a stop in Roy E. Davis' revival circuit,[11] during a time when most — if not all —  of the Pentecostals in the area were under Lout's leadership.  Shreveport was also very familiar with Davis' partner, Congressman William D. Upshaw.  Upshaw appears to have had a friendly relationship with the news media, who affectionally called him "Dr",[12] to which he jokingly responded.[13]

Lout was a frequent speaker at Jack T. Moore's Life Tabernacle Church[14]