Page 223 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

The Church Returns to the Upper Room

issue of September, 1906, emphasized missions: “When Pentecostal lines
are struck, Pentecostal giving commences. Hundreds of dollars have
been laid down for the sending of missionaries and thousands will be laid
down.… The silver and gold are His own to carry on His work.”

What a lesson for the church in Africa today! Those involved did not
wait until they grew large in number. God’s mission was at the heart of
the movement from the beginning.

I highly recommend a book written by Assemblies of God Missionary
Denzil R. Miller entitled, From Azusa to Africa to the Nations. The book
indicates a link between Azusa, Africa, and today’s African missionary
movement. A copy should be in every Bible school library and read by
every Bible school student. Miller states:

Missionaries went out from the Azusa Street Mission to many
parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Northern
Europe, Western Europe, and China. Africa, however, seems to
have been a primary focus of the mission. The Apostolic Faith
reports on visitors from Sudan, Ethiopia, and Cape Verde Islands
attending the meetings. (31)

Miller also relates the testimonies of missionaries who went to
Africa. Interestingly, Julia W. Hutchins, the woman who locked
Seymour out of her house for preaching about the baptism in the
Holy Spirit, became involved in the revival and volunteered as a
missionary (33). Her testimony is recorded in the Apostolic Faith,
September, 1906:

I am ready and down to the Mission with my ticket and everything
prepared, waiting to have hands laid on and the prayers of the
saints, and expect to leave at eight o’clock from the Santa Fe
station en route for Africa. We expect to go to Mt. Coffee, Monrovia,
Liberia. (quoted in Miller, 4)

Space does not permit me to relate many testimonies of
missionaries who were directly related to the Pentecostal revival
and went as missionaries to Africa. However, I will refer to a few to
represent the many.

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