The Azusa Street Revival: The Moment When Heaven Invaded Earth

 

"I would rather live six months at that time than fifty years of ordinary life."
—Frank Bartleman, an eyewitness to the Azusa Street Revival.

At a time when people were hungry for a deeper encounter with God, heaven touched earth, igniting a fire that would spread across nations. Men and women from different backgrounds, desperate for more of God, found themselves caught up in a divine outpouring that would change the course of Christianity forever.

In 1905, William Seymour, a 34-year-old son of freed slaves, was a student at Charles Parham's Bible school in Houston, Texas. He also assisted Lucy Farrow, who led a small holiness church there.

That same year, Neely Terry, an African American woman who attended a small holiness church in Los Angeles, visited friends in Houston, Texas. While there, she sought a place to worship and was introduced to Lucy Farrow’s holiness church. Farrow, a former governess of Charles Parham’s family, was a respected Christian leader in the holiness movement.

During the service, Seymour preached on receiving the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Though he had not yet experienced speaking in tongues himself, he fervently preached about it.

Neely Terry was deeply moved by Seymour’s powerful sermons. When she returned to Los Angeles, she spoke highly of him to her church community, particularly to Julia Hutchins, the pastor of her church. Impressed by Terry’s recommendation, Hutchins invited Seymour to preach in Los Angeles.

Seymour accepted the invitation. Charles Parham provided financial assistance and a blessing for the one-month visit, and Seymour boarded a train to Los Angeles.

He arrived in Los Angeles on February 22, 1906. During his first sermon at the church, he preached that speaking in tongues was the biblical evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Though Seymour preached a powerful, life-changing message on the baptism of the Holy Ghost, he did not demonstrate the manifestation of it—he did not speak in tongues.

On the following Sunday, March 4, he returned to the church and found that Hutchins had padlocked the door. The church elders rejected Seymour, primarily because he had not yet experienced the Holy Ghost baptism he was preaching. The Holiness Church Association of Southern California, with which the church was affiliated, also rejected him.

However, not all members of the church turned him away. A congregation member, Edward Lee, invited Seymour to stay at his home. Seymour began holding Bible studies and prayer meetings there.

Seymour and his small group of new followers soon moved their gatherings to the home of Richard and Ruth Asberry at 216 North Bonnie Brae Street. White families from local holiness churches began to attend as well. The group gathered regularly, praying to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

On April 9, 1906, after five weeks of Seymour’s preaching and prayer, and three days into an intended 10-day fast, Edward Lee spoke in tongues for the first time.

At the next meeting, Seymour shared Lee’s testimony and preached on Acts 2:4:

"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

Six others began to speak in tongues as well, including Jennie Moore, who would later become Seymour’s wife. A few days later, on April 12, Seymour himself spoke in tongues for the first time after praying all night.

News of the events at North Bonnie Brae Street quickly spread among African American, Latino, and White residents of the city.

For several nights, speakers preached to crowds from the front porch of the Asberry home. Attendees came from all walks of life, including various income levels and religious backgrounds. Even Hutchins’ congregation began attending the meetings. Eventually, she too spoke in tongues.

As the crowds grew, people worshiped with intensity—speaking in tongues, shouting, singing, and crying out for more of the Holy Ghost. After some time, the front porch of the house collapsed, forcing the group to look for a larger meeting place.

A neighborhood resident described the scene:

"They shouted three days and three nights. It was Easter season. The people came from everywhere. By the next morning, there was no way of getting near the house. As people came in, they would fall under God's power, and the whole city was stirred. They shouted until the foundation of the house gave way, but no one was hurt."

The group eventually found an available building at 312 Azusa Street in downtown Los Angeles. It was an abandoned, dilapidated structure, with rent costing $8.00 per month.

Seymour and his congregation cleaned the building in preparation for services. They held their first meeting there on April 14, 1906.

Church services took place on the first floor, where benches were arranged in a rectangular pattern. Some of the benches were simply planks placed on top of empty kegs. There was no elevated platform, as the ceiling was only eight feet high. Seymour did not use a pulpit; instead, he sat on two stacked wooden shoeboxes.

By mid-May 1906, over 1,500 people were struggling to fit inside the building. People from diverse backgrounds gathered to worship—men, women, children, Black, White, Asian, Native American, immigrants, rich, poor, illiterate, and educated.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing a glow emanating from the building and hearing sounds similar to explosions coming from it. On multiple occasions, the fire department arrived at the mission because flames were seen rising from the building, yet no natural fire was found.

The Azusa Street Revival lasted for nine years, from 1906 to 1915. William Seymour remained at the mission with his wife, Jennie, leading the congregation and traveling to ignite revivals elsewhere. On September 28, 1922, he passed away at the age of 52.

But though the man left the earth, the fire he helped spark has never gone out.

What began in a humble, rundown building in Los Angeles became a movement that reshaped Christianity, giving birth to the modern Pentecostal and Charismatic movements. Millions around the world have been touched by the same Holy Spirit outpouring that fell on Azusa Street.

Yet, the story of Azusa is not just history—it is a prophecy of what God can do again. The hunger for His presence, the unity of believers across racial and social lines, the supernatural power that transformed lives—these are not relics of the past but realities available to those who seek Him today.

The question is: will we cry out for another move of God?

The same Holy Spirit who moved at Azusa is still moving today, waiting for hearts that are desperate for more. If God could use a small group of ordinary men and women to change the course of history, what could He do with those who are willing to surrender everything for His glory today?

Revival is not just a memory—it is a call.

Will you answer it?