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Longview, Texas Church Mourns Death of Youth Pastor at Age 38

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Ryan Carlisle, the youth pastor of the Longview Missionary Baptist Church in Longview, Texas, died after suffering a heart attack last Thursday, June 27, after working out at a local gym. He was 38.

The Longview News-Journal reports Carlisle went into cardiac arrest while working out at the Christus Good Shepherd Institute for Healthy Living. He was taken by ambulance to Longview Regional Medical Center where he later passed away.

On its Facebook page later that evening, the church requested prayers for the Carlisle family. 

"With an extremely heavy heart and no words to express our grief, Ryan Carlisle, our Youth Pastor, passed away this afternoon while working out at the gym," the church's secretary, Jalena Branch wrote. "There will be a prayer service this evening at 7 pm at the church. We encourage all our youth, their parents and our church family to attend. Please pray for Bridgit, Ava and Max and the entire Carlisle Family. " 

Carlisle, a Longview High School graduate, had joined the Longview Missionary Baptist Church in April of 2018.  He had also served as a youth pastor in Mount Enterprise for eight years before returning to Longview, according to the newspaper

Rev. Nathan Rogers, Longview Missionary's pastor, told the paper Carlisle was a model husband and father.

"He was the kind of man all men should watch and learn from the example he set," Rogers said.

Carlisle's funeral was held Monday, July 1, at the Moberly Baptist Church in Longview. He leaves behind his wife Bridgit, and two children, daughter, Ava, 13 and son, Max 9.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family deal with funeral expenses and to help the with the Carlisle family's finances.  According to the fundraising page, Carlisle had no life insurance policy.

As of Tuesday, the online fundraiser had met more than $35,000 of its $50,000 goal. 

Donations in Ryan Carlisle's memory can also be mailed to:

Longview Missionary Baptist Church
800 E. Loop 281
Longview, Texas 75605

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About The Author

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country. In addition, he also worked as a producer-director in television production and on-air promotion. A Civil War historian, he authored the book The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory. It was the companion book to the television documentary titled Last Raid at Cabin Creek currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Communication from the University of