William Joseph Seymour
(1870 - 1922) 

Here we write about William Joseph Seymour, the co-founder of modern Pentecostalism. Brother Seymour will surely go down in history as one of Americas greatest African American religious leaders. You have heard lots about Azusa.  Now meet the man who, during times of intercession, stuck his head between two milk crates and prayed for a mighty outpouring of the Holy Ghost.

"And you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost comes upon you."

It was January 1st, 1901, the first day of the new century, when Agnes M.  Ozman was baptized with the Holy Ghost with the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues.  In Topeka Kansas there was Bethel Bible School founded by Charles Fox Parham. This school was the 20th century birthing place of this divine outpouring in the United States. Within a year Brother Parham and other students were also baptized and Brother Parham closed the school and began to conduct revival meetings throughout the mid-west. 

SEYMOUR IN HOUSTON AT 503 RUSK STREET
In 1905 Parham preached a revival message in Houston Texas. He was then approached by zealous believers concerning the need for training and a Bible study. In December of 1905 Parham opened a Bible Training School at 503 Rusk Street in Houston. It was opened as a faith ministry and the school did not charge fees or tuition. It was so popular that by 1907 some 13,000 people had passed through the school.

A thirty-one year old William Joseph Seymour attended the Houston Bible School for a brief time from perhaps January through February of 1906. Since he was a black man he was not allowed to sit in the main classroom where only whites were allowed to sit. Seymour listened to the class through the open door as he sat in the other room. At that time in history, segregation and racism was blatant in the church.  Even though Seymour didn't like it, he didn't let that stop him from pursuing God. None of God's greatest leaders ever let religious hypocrisy stop them from entering their high calling. They possessed an unstoppable spirit of pursuit and hunger.

ONTO LOS ANGELES
After this short time in Parham's Houston Bible Training School, Brother Seymour received a letter from Mrs. Neely Terry who was living in Los Angeles, California, who asked him to consider pastoring a Nazarene group led by Mrs. Julia W. Hutchins. This was a small black group of about twenty who gathered together in worship. 

Brother Seymour agreed and arrived some time in late February or early March of 1906.  Upon arriving Seymour found the families to be meeting at 9th and Santa Fe Street.  The group had formerly met in the wood frame home of Richard and Ruth Asbery of 216 North Bonnie Brae Street. In just a short time the growing group found themselves with no room and looked for larger facilities that Mrs. Hutchins gladly rented over at 9th and Santa Fe Street.

Brother Seymour was well received and often preached holiness and divine healing.  Sometime in March, shortly after arriving, Seymour begin to preach about the baptism with the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues.  At the time he had not himself experienced this baptism, but never the less he preached fervently totally expecting that gift to be released in his new found church. This new teaching totally shocked the congregation and Seymour found himself, like the Apostle Paul, in the middle of an uproar.  On one Sunday evening, in April, Brother Seymour found the door to the church tightly shut up with a padlock.  Seymour was now locked out and stranded.  A fearful and quite raged Julia Hutchins had locked out  the new pastor out.

216 BONNIE BRAE 
Now Seymour found himself out on the street and stranded with no place 
to go.  However by the grace of God the Lee family, former attendants of the Santa Fe meetings, reached out to him and gave him a place to stay in their home.

Shortly afterward the Asbery's invited Pastor Seymour to their house at 216 Bonnie Brae to conduct some gospel meetings in their home.  Today this house is known as the 216 Bonnie Brae House and is still standing.  Religious scholars, researchers, and historians throughout the world acknowledge this house as the place where modern day Pentecostals can trace their spiritual roots.

HEALING SIGNS TO PENTECOST
Surely Seymour continued to speak about the baptism in the Holy Ghost because on April 9th, 1906 something historical happened.  Seymour's host, Mr. Edward Lee, had been sick and had asked Pastor Seymour to pray for him.  To pray, not just for his healing, but that he might also receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost.  As Pastor Seymour began to pray, Lee was gloriously filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave him utterance.  That same evening the two of them went to the Asbery home where the evening meeting was scheduled to take place.
That same evening, with faith high, seven more were gloriously filled
with the Holy Spirit and also spoke with other tongues.  Something mighty was being birthed in that little house at 216 Bonnie Brae.  It is interesting to note that at the time Pastor Seymour was preaching about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, he himself had not yet been filled.  But on April 12th, 1906, late that night, Pastor Seymour received and was filled himself.

TO AZUSA AND AROUND THE WORLD
After this the small fellowship of believers began to go tell and the neighborhood residents began to come to the Ashbery's house until there was literally no room at all inside the house.  For a short time they used the front porch as the platform area preaching to those who gathered on the lawn.  It was at this time that the ministry was moved to 312 Azusa Street. 

The 40 by 60 ft.  Azusa building had formerly been used as the meeting house of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church but had been vacated and was now being used as a livery stable and a place to store construction materials.  After a few days of cleanup the building was opened for worship and wooden planks atop wooded nail kegs seated 750 people. There was no stained glass windows, no carpet on the floor, no bulletins at the door, and no air-condition, but the Spirit of God was there.

Shortly after that the Holy Spirit filled the building with the glory of God and revival fires poured out into all of Los Angeles, California.  Men and women were drawn from all over the world to this simple manager of a place that God chose to do a mighty work.

ACCUSATIONS ABOUND
Newspaper reporters from the Los Angeles news media wrote:

"Weird babble of tongues, New sect of fanatics is breaking loose, Wild scene last night on Azusa Street.  Gurgle of wordless talk by a sister."

"A new sect of fanatics is breaking loose, they make weird babbling sounds... they never dismiss church." 

"Disgraceful intermingling of the races, they cry and make howling noises all day and into the night.  They run, jump, shake all over, shout to the top of their voice, spin around in circles, fall out on the sawdust blanketed floor jerking, kicking and rolling all over it. Some of them pass out and do not move for hours as though they were dead.  These people appear to be mad, mentally deranged or under a spell.  They claim to be filled with the spirit.  They have a one eyed, illiterate, Negro as their preacher who stays on his knees much of the time with his head hidden between the wooden milk crates.  He doesn't talk very much but at times he can be heard shouting Repent," and he's supposed to be running the thing...  They repeatedly sing the same song , 'The Comforter Has Come.'"

THE APOSTOLIC FAITH
True word of the revival was spread abroad through The Apostolic Faith, 
a paper that Seymour sent free of charge to some 50,000 subscribers. 
From Azusa Street, pentecostalism spread rapidly around the world and 
began it's advance toward becoming a major force in Christendom.

The first addition of The Apostolic Faith newspaper printed September, 1906 described the first meetings like this.

"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 fanaticism's with living, practical Christianity, "Love, Faith, Unity" are our watchwords, and "Victory Through the Atoning Blood" our battle cry."

From Azusa Street pentecostalism spread rapidly around the world and began its advance toward becoming the major force in Christendom. Along with Charles Parham, William Joseph Seymour could be called the co-founder of world pentecostalism and will surely go down in history as one of Americas greatest African American religious leaders.
 

Written by: Revivalist Jonas Clark 

Copyright ? 2008 [www.seeking4truth.com]. All rights reserved .Revised: 05/17/2009