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A BRIEF HISTORY ABOUT THE BONNIE BRAE HOUSE
The Bonnie Brae House is the only remaining historic site related to the
Azusa Revival. The House has occupied a roughly equivalent position in
modern history as does the upper room in biblical history. It is all the
more significant in light of the fact that the Azusa Street location has
been demolished and no longer exists. It was here on April 9, 1906, that
a small group of African-American Christians, led in prayer by William
J. Seymour, were baptized in the Holy Spirit, as the apostles had been
in the book of Acts, with the sign of speaking in tongues.
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Bishop
William J. Seymour |
The news of this amazing event, that God was baptizing
people with the Holy Ghost, spread quickly through the black and into
the white communities. Soon the crowds gathering at this house for the
nightly meetings grew so large, that the services were held outside on
the porch and in the street. The front porch became a natural pulpit for
Brother Seymour, while worshippers kneeled and prayed in the front yard
and on the street below. On April 12, 1906, the front porch collapsed
from the weight of the worshippers. Brother Seymour moved the meetings
to 312 Azusa Street into a building that had formerly been the St.
Steven’s African Methodist Episcopal Church.
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Bishop
Charles Harrison Mason |
It is at the Azusa Street Mission for three years every
day, 1906-1909, that the outpouring of the Holy Ghost went on in a
glorious Pentecostal revival. In March 1907, the founder of the Church
of God in Christ, Bishop Charles Harrison Mason, was baptized in the
Holy Ghost with the sign of speaking in tongues at the Azusa Street
Revival. The Azusa Street Revival Mission building was torn down in
1938. But the Bonnie Brae House remains as the only physical landmark to
those sacred events.
In 1985, the late African-American educator and Church
of God in Christ member, Dr. Art Glass, purchased this home after God
laid it on his heart to find the historic Bonnie Brae House. Dr. Glass
created the Pentecostal Heritage, Inc. a non-profit corporation to
preserve the house. During that period for nearly 15 years, one of the
most faithful financial contributors to the Bonnie Brae House and
Pentecostal Heritage, Inc. was Bishop Charles E. Blake and The First
Jurisdiction of Southern California. In later years, God again spoke to
Dr. Art Glass to place the Bonnie Brae House into the hands of an
organization that could take this landmark to the next level of
development.
The first person he thought of was the faithful
contributor, Bishop Charles E. Blake. Thus, Dr. Glass deeded the Bonnie
Brae House to the First Jurisdiction of Southern California under the
leadership of Bishop Charles E. Blake.
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| Artist's rendering of future
remodeling |
Though the First Jurisdiction holds the deed to the
property, we strongly believe that the property belongs to all who share
the legacy of the Azusa Street Revival. It should not become the victim
of denominational or ethnic polarization. It should become a historical
statement that we, all of us are one in the spirit. Believing that our
Pentecostal brethren will join with us in this effort, the First
Jurisdiction has already invested over half a million dollars into the
restoration and preservation of this historical site. You will have an
opportunity to give your very own love gift of thanks to the Lord as you
tour the historical Bonnie Brae House during the week of the Centennial.
Please consult the adjacent chart for tour schedules. |
