Big Revival in Little Tokyo

"Though few outside Pentecostalism know of him, Pastor Seymour, a son of slaves from Louisiana, held round-the-clock religious revivals that drew thousands of people of all races to the Azusa Street Mission.
"His ministry began at a prayer meeting on April 9, 1906, at 216 N. Bonnie Brae St., when it was 'visited by a move of the Holy Spirit' and people began to speak and sing in tongues....
"Within days, his flock had grown so large that he had to find a bigger place — an abandoned building at 312 Azusa St...."

The Los Angeles Times notes the beginning of this week's centennial celebration in downtown L.A. of the birth of Pentecostalism.


"The revival celebration means a lot to Los Angeles, Butler said. 'In many ways, L.A. is always associated with the movie and entertainment industry,' she said. 'But when you think about the City of the Angels, the spiritual focus of the city from the very beginning was always part of the life blood of Los Angeles — life blood that was really ignored in light of the entertainment industry here.'"

More from the Times.