It is well documented that Parham, a white minister, was the founder of a Bible school in Topeka, Kansas where a white student, Agnes M. Ozman was baptized with the Holy Ghost with initial evidence of speaking in tongues on January 1, 1901 (see Acts 2:4). The school, for whites only, was the first site in the USA from where a manifestation of the Holy Ghost was linked with subsequent proliferation. Parham and other students received their "baptism" within the year and they began to conduct revivals in the mid-west. Although blacks attended his revivals, he segregated them to the rear of each meeting hall or outdoors setting. And too, they were not permitted to pray and seek salvation at the altar together with whites. Such was the case with Charles F. Parham, a white man some newcomers have tried to project as the founder of Pentecostalism.  

Move To California 

Possibly in January 1906, W. J. Seymour received a letter from Mrs. Neely Terry who was living in Los Angeles California, requesting him to pastor a congregation there led by Mrs. Julia W. Hutchins. The black group of about twenty persons, previously had agreed to Terry's recommendation because of her association with him in Houston. The congregation of families were meeting in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Asbery, 214 North Bonnie Brae Street. Within months, a growing overflow crowd soon dictated the need for larger quarters. Hutchins rented a building at 9th and Santa Fe. When Seymour arrived in Los Angeles (believed to be late February or early March 1906) he preached holiness and divine healing.

The transplanted shepherd was well received. He then began preaching the baptism with the Holy Ghost, manifested by initial evidence of speaking in tongues. This :new" teaching astounded and dumbfounded the congregation! Immediately, the congregation was in an uproar. One Sunday evening early in April when Seymour returned to the mission, he found the door padlocked.  Hutchins locked him out. With nowhere to go, he was stranded. Mr. and Mrs. Edward S. Lee, a black family under Hutchins, gave to Seymour hospitality and refuge in their home.  Meanwhile, the Asbery's invited Seymour to conduct meetings in their home. He complied. 

Spiritual Fulfillment

It is public knowledge that on April 9, 1906 Seymour went to the home of Lee to pray for Lee's healing. During that sick call, Lee also requested prayer that he would receive the Holy Ghost. Seymour prayed again for Lee. In a matter of minutes Lee became engulfed by the Spirit of God and began speaking in tongues. Within a couple of hours the two believers went to the Asbery home where the meeting was scheduled to convene. Brother Lee excitedly testified about his experience. Later that evening amidst praise and intense worship with joy unto God, seven persons received the baptism with the Holy Ghost, with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues. Seymour continued to preach it although he did not receive it. Then on April 12, 1906 late in the evening, Seymour was baptized with the Holy Ghost. The house meetings became interracial and integrated. 

Within one week following April 9th, the holiness congregation, in spiritual ecstasy, began to tell of the wonderful works of God (see Acts 2:11). Excited neighborhood residents began to attend the house meetings to overflow. The availability of 312 Azusa Street was made known to the group and it immediately rented the facility. First AME Church, builder and first occupant of the two story frame edifice, had moved out in 1903.  Later, the building was converted into a livery stable and construction materials storage facility. After volunteer and paid workers undertook the Herculean job of clean up, the 40 by 60 foot structure with a seating capacity of 750, was barely ready for occupancy when it opened for worship the third week in April. As the dawn of a new era burst forth with the birth of Jesus Christ in a stable, so the renewal of the baptism with the Holy Ghost burst forth upon humanity from a stable. 

World Wide Growth 

Within days the Spirit filled revival stirred all of Los Angeles. On Wednesday, April 18, 1906, Los Angeles Daily Times published a front page story titled . . . WEIRD BABEL OF TONGUES . . . subtitled . . . NEW SECT OF FANATICS IS BREAKING LOOSE. WILD SCENE LAST NIGHT ON AZUSA STREET. GURGLE OF WORDLESS TALK BY A SISTER. Of course the article was written by a reporter who had no knowledge of the biblical antecedent. The following was published on page one of The Apostolic Faith (newspaper) September, 1906 , Vol. I, No. 1, Col. 2. (This first edition was printed with 5,(100 copies and eventually grew to 50,000 copies published in 1907 with world wide circulation ) .

 The meetings began about ten o'clock in the morning and can hardly stop before ten or twelve at night, and sometimes two or three in the morning, because....so many are seeking, and some are slain under the power of God. People are seeking three times at the altar . . . we cannot tell how many people have been saved, and baptized with the Holy Ghost, and healed of all manner of sicknesses. Many are speaking in new tongues and some are going on their way to the foreign fields, with the gift of the language. 

A drunkard got under conviction in a street meeting, and raised his hands to be prayed for. They prayed for the devil of drink to be cast out, and the appetite was gone. He came to the meeting and was saved, sanctified, and baptized with the Holy Ghost, and in three days from the time he was drunk he was speaking in a new tongue and praising God for Pentecost. He hardly knows himself. 

We are not fighting men or churches, but seeking to displace dead forms and creeds and wild fanaticisms with living, practical Christianity, "Love, Faith, Unity" are our watchwords, and "Victory Through the Atoning Blood" our battle cry. 

During the approximately 1,000 days of continuous revival, the world wide proliferation of Pentecost to more than fifty (50) nations on nearly every continent on earth could be traced tu roots at the outpouring of the Spirit at 312 Azusa Street, under the leadership of  William J. Seymour, an African American. Seymour was successful in returning Christianity to its original form, weaving society into a new fabric . . . interracial freedom and bonding of men and women in His love, and the equality of man in spiritual union with Jesus Christ and God the Father through the Holy Ghost. 

 Douglas Nelson reported in For Such A Time As This: The Story of Bishop William J. Seymour and the Azusa Revival (Ph.D. diss., University of Birmingham, England, 1981 ) that Clara Lum stole the international mailing lists and fled to Portland, Oregon. There she joined with Florence Crawford in ministry, who months earlier, had left the Apostolic Faith Gospel Mission. These events led to the demise of The Apostolic Faith newspaper. (see editor's note below)

Copyright © 1990 by E. Myron Noble 

Editor's note: The Apostolic Faith Mission of Portland Oregon the successor of the Azusa Street Newspaper has sent us a note disputing the accuracy of the above paragraph.  For the sake of historical clarity we feel obligated to include their response to the above paragraph.  Their response follows.

Our founder, Florence Crawford, was among those who received the experience of sanctification and the power of the Holy Spirit in the Los Angeles revival of 1906. A dynamic woman, she entered wholeheartedly into evangelistic work, assisting mission leader William J. Seymour. Many inquiries had begun coming in from people who wanted to know more about the Pentecostal outpouring, so Florence Crawford began recording what was being said in the meetings and putting it into a newspaper format, with the help of Clara Lum and others. The publication was called The Apostolic Faith.

In addition to her efforts in the publishing work, Florence Crawford felt God's call to travel beyond the boundaries of Los Angeles with the Pentecostal message. Her first ministries were along the West Coast where she worked as an itinerant home missionary. In December of 1906, she made her initial visit to Portland, Oregon, where she had been invited to preach in an independent church on Second and Main Street. Subsequently, the pastor of that church offered her his pulpit permanently, and in 1908, Crawford moved to Portland. At that point, the Azusa Street ministry turned over the responsibility of publishing The Apostolic Faith paper to her.

Evidence of the fact that she brought the publishing work to Portland with the blessing of the Azusa Street ministry is the fact that the first edition of the 14th issue of the Apostolic Faith paper which was published in Los Angeles in May 1908, (after Florence Crawford moved to Portland) contained this note: "For the next issue of this paper address The Apostolic Faith Campmeeting, Portland, Oregon." It also refers to Florence Crawford as "Sister Crawford" and mentions her activities in Portland. At that juncture, publishing of the paper was transferred to Florence Crawford's headquarters in Portland. It is our understanding that only two of the twenty-two complete mailing lists were brought to Portland. She continued the publishing of The Apostolic Faith paper without interruption, the first edition from Portland coming out in July-August, 1908.

A further evidence that Florence Crawford left with the initial blessing of the Azusa Street ministry is the fact that Jennie Seymour, wife of William Seymour, was a signer on the "Articles of Incorporation" for the "Apostolic Faith Mission of Portland, Oregon," which was signed by her and two other co-signers, and registered with the State of Oregon on October 12, 1909. We have copies of those papers in our possession. This indicates that there was mutual respect between the Seymours and Florence Crawford at that time-more than a year after the alleged "theft" of the mailing list.

In 1981, the publication name was changed to The Light of Hope and in 1995, the publication became Higher Way. The Apostolic Faith Mission of Portland, Oregon continues to print and uphold the same doctrines as taught by the original Azusa ministry and has maintained its headquarters in Portland. Their website is at http://www.apostolicfaith.org/.

 Douglas J. Nelson For Such A Time As This, ( Ph.D. diss. University of Birmingham, England, 1981). Tinney, James S. and Short, Stephen, eds. In The Tradition of William C Seymour, Washington, D.C., Spirit Press, 1978, p. 13. Miriam Matthews, Archivist for the AME Church, Los Angeles, CA. S letter dated October 31, 1989.  The paragraph revision under editor's note was submitted by the Apostolic Faith Mission of Portland, Oregon, USA.