Glenn A. Cook
(1867-1948)
Glenn A. Cook, a newspaper journalist in Los
Angeles, initially rejected the validity of William Seymour's preaching and
sought to correct what he believed was doctrinal error. However, he soon changed
his mind and explained: "After asking forgiveness of Brother Seymour and all the
rest for all my hard sayings I fell on my face and began to pour out my soul in
prayer. … When I had just about given up all hope, the Holy Ghost fell on me as
I lay in bed at home. I seemed to be in a trance for about 24 hours and the next
day in the meeting began to speak in tongues." Cook then became business manager
at the Apostolic Faith Mission and assisted Seymour in publishing The Apostolic
Faith. In 1907 he introduced the Pentecostal message to Indianapolis. In 1914,
after being rebaptized in the name of Jesus, Cook became a pioneer minister in
the Oneness Pentecostal movement.
The Azusa Street Meeting:
Some Highlights of This Outpouring
By: Glenn A. Cook
The picture shown herewith is of a group of people among
the first to receive the Holy Ghost baptism of fire, accompanied by speaking in
tongues, at the meeting held on Azusa Street, Los Angeles, in the spring of
1906. The plate was made from a very poor print, but answers the purpose, and is
in harmony with the standing in this world of those portrayed. It was a company
of people who considered themselves strangers and pilgrims, and were seeking a
city to come. They surely found the desire of their hearts, and heaven came down
in their midst.
The names of those in the picture, from left to right,
are: Upper row standing, (1) writer does not remember her name; (2) Bro. Evans,
the first man to receive the baptism; (3) Jennie Moon [Moore, ed.], who
afterwards married Bro. Seymour; (4) Glenn A. Cook, the writer of this tract;
(5) Sister Crawford, who built up a large work in Portland, Oregon; (6) the
writer does not remember this brother’s name; (7) Sister Prince, who surely was
a mother in Israel; Lower row seated, (1) Sister Evans, the first woman to
receive the baptism; (2) Brother Hiram Smith, a great help in the business of
the mission; (3) Bro. W.J. Seymour, the meekest man the writer had ever met; (4)
Clara Lum, stenographer and wonderful helper in editing the paper, and spreading
the good news all over the world. She is now associated with Sister Crawford in
Portland, Ore. The little girl is the daughter of Sister Crawford.
The writer of this tract, and No. 4 in the upper row, was
made business manager by the laying on of hands by Bro. Seymour and others. The
duties of his office made him familiar not only with the work at Azusa Street,
but all over the world. He opened all the mail and handled all the
correspondence for over a year after the power fell, and the purpose of this
tract is to make a record of some impressions received at the beginning of this
visitation from God.
It has been published by some who oppose the baptism of
the Holy Ghost and speaking in tongues, that you cannot find a community in the
United States nor Canada, where this people are not represented. You will find
them all over the world. It is true they are divided into sects, but about all
continue to speak in tongues.
In the early spring of 1906, William Seymour arrived in
Los Angeles, California, from Houston, Texas. He had been a hotel waiter in
Indianapolis, Indiana, and on his way to the coast, had stopped in Houston.
While there, he attended meetings for some time where the people spoke in
tongues.
The Holy Ghost had fallen in Topeka, Kansas, quite awhile
before this, and had spread as far as Houston. Seymour did not receive his
Baptism at the Houston meeting. The doctrines preached by this people were
confusing, and there was a lack of love and power in the meetings. I later
learned about this visitation at Topeka. The leader became puffed up, declared
himself the progenitor of the Movement, and would strut around with a high silk
hat like a dictator. The results that followed could not be other than great
confusion in doctrine and the absence of the spirit of love.
When Seymour arrived in Los Angeles, he did not have the
Baptism, but surely was meek and humble, and could preach love and a clean life
as a preparation for the Baptism.
He received the Baptism a short time after the power fell.
He gathered a small group of people, black and white, and started a meeting in
the old church building. A few benches and chairs with a packing case for the
pulpit was the equipment. Every time he preached he would quote Mark 16 and Acts
2:4, insisting that no one had received the baptism in the Holy Ghost unless he
spoke in tongues. This caused a great deal of opposition by the holiness people
who began to attend the meetings.
I was preaching in a tent at Seventh and Spring Streets
when someone told me about the meeting. I went to the meeting thinking I might
be able to straighten the people out in their doctrine, as I had been professing
this experience for many years.
I was not alone in this effort, as many more preachers and
gospel workers began to gather and contend with Seymour. But the contention was
all on our part. I never have met a man who had such control over his spirit.
The Scripture: “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall
offend them,” was literally fulfilled in this man (Psalm 119:165). No amount of
confusion and accusation seemed to disturb him. He would sit behind that packing
case and smile at us until we were all condemned by our own activities.
Although most of the holiness people who attended
continued to reject the preaching, each had a secret reverence and admiration
for this man who lived what we had been preaching for years — a sanctified life.
It was the wonderful character of this man whom God had chosen that attracted
the people and kept them coming to this humble meeting.
The meetings had been running for about a month when the
power fell. What a change took place. When I saw Sister Moon’s [Moore, ed.]
shining face and heard her sing in the Spirit, I felt as though I had never had
any experience. That old building seemed to have been annexed to heaven, and had
become the habitation of legions of the heavenly host. People began to pour in
from everywhere, representing many religious beliefs.
After asking forgiveness of Seymour and the others for all
of my hard sayings, I fell on my face and began to pour out my soul in prayer,
but could not receive the Holy Ghost; then followed a period of about 5 weeks of
repenting and prayer. My eyes were seldom dry during this time, and although
many had spoken in tongues and the building was filled with people, I seemed to
get farther and farther away from God. I felt that I was lost, and unless I
received the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues, I would miss all. When I had
nearly given up hope, the Holy Ghost fell on me as I lay in bed at home. I
seemed to be in a trance for about 24 hours, and the next day, in the meeting,
began to speak in tongues.
The crowds kept increasing until the people could not get
in the building. It was on a little-used side street. Soon the street was filled
with people from every walk of life and every nationality. The meetings would
start at about 9 a.m. and run continually until far into the night. There was
such a drawing power about the place that saint and sinner wanted to be there
all the time.
I was working on a daily newspaper at the time, but I had
lost all interest in my work. I would weep and cry as I went about my work until
my wicked companions said that I was going crazy. About this time, the Lord
spoke to me and told me to quit my work, as He had something for me to do. I
resigned my position. A few days afterward, Seymour made me his business manager
without salary. No one received any pay in the meeting, and no offerings were
taken. A box was on the wall by the door. All support came through this box or
in the mail, unless individuals handed money to workers.
A few days after I took my new position, a rancher came to
me. He said the Lord had spoken to him in the field to come to town immediately
and give me $20. I was nearly broke when he met me, and after handing me a $20
gold piece, said that the Lord had told him to give me $20 every month, which he
continued to do for more than a year. There was never a lack of funds for any
purpose, though money was seldom, if ever, mentioned in the meetings.
One of the great features of the meetings was the singing
of heavenly anthems in the Spirit. I was seldom away from that old building for
nearly a year, except to go home to sleep. Much of the time I slept in the
building in a room adjoining Seymour. We seemed to live in an atmosphere that
was separated from the rest of the world. Evil speaking, and even evil thinking,
had departed. We were saturated with the spirit of love and prayer and the days
passed all too swiftly.
The Apostolic Faith paper was soon published, telling
about this wonderful outpouring. The first issue was 5,000 copies, and
subsequent printings soon grew to 50,000. People began to pour in from across
the United States and Canada, and from different parts of the world. The place
was packed from morning until far into the night, with many receiving the
Baptism at all hours. We had one Communion and foot washing service that lasted
until daybreak. More than 20 different nationalities were present, and they were
all in perfect accord and unity of the Spirit.
In recent years I have heard preachers speak lightly of
the Azusa Street meetings, saying they had meetings that were just as good under
their ministry. The old timers can only feel sorry for such and pity them.
In the meetings, one was not only baptized in the Holy
Ghost, but also lived in such a heavenly atmosphere of love that he could never
forget it. All else seemed so empty and void. Even as I write these pages, the
memory of that meeting comes floating back, my eyes begin to swim with tears,
and such a longing and yearning seizes me for a return of such a condition. I
can feel that sacred fire still burning, and have the conviction that God will
again visit His people in a like manner before the present dispensation ends.
If God’s people would only come together in love — and not
allow differences in doctrine to divide them, or leaders whose vision is blurred
by building churches (when not directed by the Spirit) to lead them, and those
collecting tithes to satisfy their own greed to defraud them, but work toward
one objective: to be filled with all the fullness of God — God would answer
prayer. Doctrines, teaching, and tithes have their proper place in the gospel
plan. But that overpowering, drawing power of the love of God must come first.
Our present lukewarm condition is caused by a lack of this love that nothing can
offend.
Glenn A. Cook (1867–1948) managed the
finances and correspondence of the Azusa Street Mission, assisted with the
publication of The Apostolic Faith, and later, spread the Pentecostal
message to Indianapolis, Indiana. This article was reprinted from an undated
tract written by Glenn A. Cook.
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