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Miracle on Azusa Street: The Play November 12, 2007 By Chauntay Freeman
Two mighty shakings occurred in California in 1906: the great San Francisco earthquake and a spiritual shaking in Los Angeles in a humble mission at 312 Azusa Street. This revival has impacted both our country and the world.
That’s why First United Pentecostal Church (First Church) in Nashville, TN, pastored by Rev. Ron Becton, decided once again to host this powerful drama. Our church has performed this drama in times past, and felt it was the right time for the play as everyone is finally getting truly settled in our new church facility.
Original Azusa The Azusa Street Mission at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles became world famous as the birthplace of the modern Pentecostal movement that swept across the globe. Life Magazine named the Azusa Street revival as one of the top 100 events that changed the world in the past millennium.
The revival began in April 1906, when a mild-mannered black holiness preacher, William J. Seymour (1870-1922), who had been guided by the ministry of Charles Parham (1873-1929), began preaching the gifts of the Spirit, holiness, and baptism of the Holy Ghost, evidenced by “speaking with other tongues” at the home of one of his saints. After five weeks of preaching, prayer, and fasting Seymour and his saints began speaking in tongues for the first time.
News of the events quickly spread. Soon the crowds became too large, so Seymour moved the group to an abandoned warehouse at 312 Azusa Street. The first meeting was held on April 14, 1906. By mid-May of 1906, upwards to 1,500 people would pack the building on Azusa Street to participate in the revival around the clock. The revival was marked by fervent prayer, healing, and an outpouring of the Holy Ghost like that on the Day of Pentecost mentioned in chapter two of the Book of Acts.
The revival rapidly attracted attention from the media, including the Los Angeles Times, which critically reported in an article entitled, “Weird Babel of Tongues,” that the “night is made hideous in the neighborhood by the howlings of the worshippers, who spend hours swaying back and forth in a nerve racking attitude of prayer and supplication. They claim to have the 'gift of tongues' and be able to understand the babel.”
The revival ended in 1915, but not before launching one of the largest growing Christian movements in history. Today, there are an estimated 600 million Pentecostal believers across the globe.
Azusa Outpouring in 2007 Being a local church “performance,” one would generally have limited expectations as to the audience, yet there was an overwhelming response from the community in Nashville. Several modes of advertisement were used (a billboard in a heavily populated area close to the church, flyers, mail-outs to churches across the state, a website, and word of mouth, resulting in First Church receiving calls year-round asking when it is going to host the performance again.
This year there were six performances over two weekends. At the first dress rehearsal, the anointing was thick in the sanctuary. After the last scene there were tears streaming down the faces of the actors, as they were speaking in tongues; it was a life changing experience. Pastor Becton revealed that over 3,000 tickets were sold.
Live Performance To sit in the performance is to realize there truly is a lot going on. After the “Azusa church scene,” the lights dim and you could hear the actors crying and speaking in tongues. At that point, you can’t “play” church. Either you have it or you don’t. To get your point across, you have to have church. In the past, scenes have literally had to pause due to audience members standing and worshipping. This year was no different. As the actors were speaking, members of the audience would back them up (and sometimes stand) with “Amen, that’s right! Preach it.” The worship was amazing.
The drama begins with a background of Pentecost and the Bible and it brings you to 1906. It takes you along the spiritual journey of Rev. Charles White, a prominent clergyman in Los Angeles, and his wife and daughter, as their lives are touched by the Azusa Street revival. At the end, the pastor showed the outpouring of the Holy Ghost today, with thousands of people across the world as evidence. Then the actor playing Bro. Seymour walks the audience through repentance. The lights come up and people are invited to come to the altar.
What a humbling experience, some people couldn’t get down there fast enough, tears streaming down their faces. Growing up in the church makes me wonder how much I take for granted about my heritage and the privilege that I’ve had growing up in the truth.
Afterglow There were over 4,000 visitors in attendance, with many traveling from across the state and many, from the surrounding states, with at least 35-40 individuals who received the Holy Ghost for the first time. Praise the Lord for that!
What a change there has been in our church! I asked my pastor’s wife, Sis. Cheryl Becton her thoughts on the impact that Azusa has had on our church, and she said, “We have seen a very positive impact upon our church family, in that so many cast members have spoken of experiencing a personal revival of prayer, worship, and a desire to reach out to those who have not received the gift of the Holy Ghost. And in our services, we are feeling the awesome afterglow produced by the focused prayer, fasting, and commitment set forth by our entire church family to make Miracle on Azusa Street happen. This has certainly created a climate of faith!”
It’s hard to express, personally, what an impact Azusa has made on my life. I was in the ensemble this year, and it was an honor to be a part of my heritage. Additionally, with my mother playing one of the main roles, I see the impact that it has had on her. The Azusa Street Revival was truly like the revival in the book of Acts. I thank God that I have been able to reap the benefits that others fought so hard for me to have. I can only hope that I forever cherish this experience and not forget the true meaning of Pentecost, and that it is not a religion, not an organization, but an experience.
You can purchase a DVD, here.
ninetyandnine.com
© 2007, Chauntay Freeman
---------- Chauntay Freeman finds herself involved in various singing groups and helping coach the Bible quiz team at her local church while maintaining her over 600 friends in her cell phone/myspace contact list. She loves her family, purple skittles, and her new iPod. |
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