Series 1: Azusa Street Centennial, July 1, 2003 – April 29, 2006

Tens of thousdands of Christians from around the world gathered in Los Angeles in April 2006 for a week-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Azusa Street revival. It was the vision and dream of Dr. Robert E. Fisher to bring together all streams of the Spirit-filled movement around the world for the Centennial anniversary. The Azusa Street revival is often considered the start of the modern Pentecostal/Charismatic movement.

The centennial celebration was held on April 25-29 in downtown Los Angeles. This was a convergence of many Pentecostal/Charismatic leaders and adherents for various opportunities for community outreaches, worship, ministry training, and tours of the community's historic landmarks. Various streams of the movement came together in an unprecedented way.

Many historians consider Azusa Street “the birthplace of the modern Pentecostal movement,” that now boasts more than 600 million adherents to the tenets of Pentecostalism. It is estimated that Pentecostals/Charismatics made up 23 percent of the population in the United States with 79 million members.

Organizers of the five-day event reserved the largest venues in the area, including the Los Angeles Convention Center, the Sports Arena, West Angeles Church of God in Christ, and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. In addition, the largest Pentecostal and Charismatic churches in the Los Angeles area will took part and hosted sessions throughout the week.

More than 150 well known Pentecostal leaders from around the world were commissioned to preach, teach, and lead worship. The centennial anniversary ended its celebrations on April 29, with what was claimed to be the largest one-day compassion-oriented outreach project in American history. Attendees and local ministries helped distribute dozens of truckloads of food and clothing to Los Angeles’ neediest neighborhoods accompanied with a gospel message.

Other event highlights included: An Azusa Believers Convention, rallies commemorating William Seymour (the leader of the Azusa revival), women in ministry services, an international revival series, a U.S. pastor’s conference, a prophetic conference, an international pastor’s training conference, a gathering of Spirit-filled Native Americans, and an international youth convocation.

Sources: Azusa Street Centennial Event Guide The Pew Forum Report, Spirit and Power: A 10-Country Survey of Pentecostals, October 2006