Sumrall was born on February 15, 1913, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to George Sumrall and Betty (née Chandler) Sumrall. He began preaching at the age of 17 after a recovery from
tuberculosis. At the age of 19, he founded a church in
Green Forest, Arkansas, and was
ordained by the
Assemblies of God. In 1934, Sumrall began traveling abroad. He preached in Tahiti and New Zealand and established a church in Brisbane, Australia. He traveled with
Howard Carter throughout eastern Asia and Europe. In South America, Sumrall met Louise Layman. Sumrall and his family spent many years in the Philippines during the 1950s. He flew to Manila, Philippines, upon learning about the
possession of Clarita Villanueva, whom he have delivered from two demonic entities in 1953. The culmination of his evangelistic work in the country was the establishment of the
Cathedral of Praise in Manila. With over 24,000 members, it is the largest congregation in the Philippines. From 1972 to 1997, he acquired television stations throughout the United States as part of World Harvest Television (also known as
LeSEA Broadcasting). In 1987, Sumrall established a humanitarian aid organization, LeSEA Global Feed the Hungry. ==Works (selected)==