The William J. Seymour Award

I posted a blog on January 14th — Sean Fuecht and the City of Angels.

Sean Fuecht and the City of Angels | by Tom Grode | Jan, 2021 | Medium

I just found out Sean Fuecht is being presented the William J. Seymour Award during the annual Azusafest this coming April 9 and 10 in Little Tokyo. The Award has been given annually since 2006. One reason Sean was chosen is a statement he made about his time in Los Angeles — “Only a United Church can heal a divided Nation”. I don’t believe there has been any past controversy in who’s been chosen to receive the Award.

Until this time….

Rev. Seymour came to Los Angeles on February 22, 1906 in search of a “second Pentecost”. This at a time when it was illegal for a Black Man to be on the streets at night in some parts of Los Angeles. One of those parts was Pasadena. One of the famous stories leading up to the Azusa Street Revival is an experience he had in Pasadena.

A Voice told him one evening to get on a train from Downtown Los Angeles and go to Pasadena. The Voice told him when to get off, walk down this street, go left, go right, knock on the door of this house. He obeyed.

A young white woman opened the front door. Rev. Seymour looked at her and said, I am the answer to your prayers. She opened the door and let him in. She and group of young women were in the living room praying for a revival…a second Pentecost.

When the Azusa Street Revival began at the corner of Azusa Street and San Pedro Street, these young women financed it.

I don’t know exact numbers, but somewhere between twenty and fifty million Americans don’t take mask wearing and social distancing seriously. And are against receiving a vaccine. Maybe even more. A significant number of those twenty to fifty million Americans or more are Pentecostal Christians. They are the “audience” for this years Azusafest and William J. Seymour Award ceremony.

This is the opposite of the Unity of Rev. Seymour. His was a Holy Spirit Unity. This is a Political Unity.