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scroll all the way to the bottom and see LARGE, hard-to-find photos of the Pembertons, Earl Lee, Mom Beall, and others!

Thursday 6 August 2020

Here's what you can read about on this site ...

Pastor Earl Lee from Los Angeles is shown preaching to the congregation of Bethesda Missionary Temple in Detroit, Michigan in the early days of the Latter Rain Movement of 1948

Following is a list of articles that you can read on this site. Clicking on the hyperlink will take you to the article you are interested in.

General information on the revival:
Related to Bethesda Missionary Temple:
Latter Rain Movement ministries:
Note - the triple asterisk (***) is there to indicate that this is by far the most widely-read item on this site.

Tuesday 4 August 2020

A chronology of the Latter Rain revival

Bethesda Missionary Temple's convention schedule for Easter 1952

items with numbers in parentheses (x) have corresponding footnotes at the end of this post

October 1947 .......... the bible school is opened in North Battleford, Saskatchewan (1)

November 1947 ...... George Hawtin travels to Vancouver, BC to see William Branham (2)

February 12, 1948 .. the bible school in North Battleford experiences revival (3)

Mar 30 - Apr 4, '48 .. Feast of Pentecost camp meeting in North Battleford

July 1948 ................. camp meeting at North Battleford (4)

September 1948 ....... Reg Layzell begins pastoring Glad Tidings in Vancouver

October 1948 ........... a week-long meeting in Edmonton, Alberta (5)

November 1948 ........ M. D. Beall travels to Vancouver, BC to hear the Hawtins et al (6)

December 5, 1948 ... revival breaks out at Bethesda Missionary Temple in Detroit, MI (7)

January 1949 ............ Stanley Frodsham visits Bethesda and approves the revival (8)

January 1949 ............. Percy Hunt, "outstanding bible teacher," speaks in Calgary, Alberta

February 13, 1949 ..... Bethesda moves into its new 1,800-seat sanctuary (9)

February 1949 .......... Thomas Wyatt invites the Hawtins to speak in Portland, OR (10)

March 1949 ............... Adam McKeown preaches at revival services in Scranton, PA

March 1949 ............... Pattern for the church Paul Grubb pastored is revealed

April 20, 1949 ........... Assemblies of God issues letter to its ministers disapproving the LRM

May 1949 .................. The Hawtins and Milford Kirkpatrick preach in Los Angeles

May 21-29, 1949 ....... Pentecostal World Conference in Paris; Mattsson-Boze on exec committee

July 5-17, 1949  ........ hundreds travel to North Battleford for another camp meeting (11)

August 1949 .............. Bethesda ends its affiliation with the Assemblies of God (12)

September 1949 ........ George Hawtin, Patricia Spence, and Roy Borders speak in St. Louis

October 1949 ............ Fred Poole was the superintendent of Apostolic Church in U. S.

October 1949 ............ Lewi Pethrus and the Hawtins in Edmonton (Pastor Harold Allcock)

October 1949 ............ Elim Bible Institute's founder Ivan Spencer preaches in St. Louis, MO

November 1949 ......... Ray Jackson preaches at a Latter Rain Revival meeting in Oakland, CA

November 1949 ......... Latter Rain convention in St. Louis, featuring Thomas Wyatt

December 1949 .......... Elmer Frink, Paul Stutzman, Erskine Holt and others in Muncie, Indiana

1949 - 1950 ............... Latter Rain teachings promoted in New Zealand

1950 ........................... Phyllis Spiers' popular song, He's the Lord of Glory, is copyrighted

January 1950 ............. Ivan Spencer's editorial: "Who are the Custodians of the Latter Rain?" (13)

January 1950 ............. Milford Kirkpatrick speaks in Latter Rain Bible School (California)

April 1950 ................. Billy Opie preaches with Wyatt and Hoekstra in Indianapolis

May 1950 ................. Earl Lee speaks in Long Beach, California

May 1950 ................. The Hawtins speak in St. Paul, Minnesota

June 1950 .................. Pastor Earl Lee's Los Angeles church buys historic theater 

June 1950 .................. Carlton Spencer, Stutzman, and Lopez in Cuba

July 1950 ................... Wyatt, Raymond Hoekstra preach at Elim Bible Institute's camp meeting

July 1950 .................. Harold Allcock speaks at Glad Tidings in Vancouver, British Columbia

July 1950 ................... Vera Bachle preaches in Salem, OR about "revival sweeping the world"

September 1950 ......... Alvar Lindskog and others preach at Glad Tidings in Vancouver

September 1950 ......... Charles Green and Don Price preach California camp meeting

November 1950 .......... the first national Latter Rain convention in St. Louis, MO (14)

December 1950 .......... M. D. Beall, Thomas Wyatt, Fred Poole and others in Oklahoma City

December 1950 ......... CLICK HERE for a description of worship at Glad Tidings in Vancouver

1950  .......................... Bethesda sponsors Little David Walker meetings attended by thousands (15)

March 1951 ............... Mattsson-Boze and Rasmussen pastoring together in Chicago

March 1951 ............... Cousen, Poole, McKeown, Evans, Spencer, and Mitchell in Montreal

June 1951 .................. M. D. Beall speaks at the Dixie Camp Meeting in Houston, TX (16)

July 1951 .................... the first issue of the Latter Rain Evangel (17)

October 1951 ............. Elim Bible Institute moves to Lima, NY 

September 1951 ........ Phyllis and James Spiers, David Schoch in LR rally in Vancouver

November 1951 ........ Wyatt, Nunes, and Mom Beall speak at second National Convention

1952 .......................... Ray and Dale Jackson promote Latter Rain in Australia (18)

January 1952 ............ Publication of a songbook by Elim's Rita Kelligan

April 1952 ................ Erskine Holt was the Dean of Bethesda Bible Institute in Portland

June 1952 ................. Garlon Pemberton and James Lee Beall speak in Lansing, Michigan

July 1952 .................. Lura Grubb tells her story of being raised from the dead

August 1952 ............. Grubb, Frodsham, and Wyatt at Latter Rain Conference

October 1952 ,........... Milford Kirkpatrick, M. D. Beall, Fred Poole and others in Des Moines, Iowa

October 1952 ............ Reg Layzell returns from one of his mission trips to Sweden

1953 .......................... Charles Green founds Word of Faith Temple

June 1953 .................. Taylor Huntley Frazier hosts Mom Beall for anniversary service

September 1953 ........ Thomas Wyatt and James Beall speak in Philadelphia (Pastor Fred Poole)

November 1953 ......... Harry Hodge preaching in Baytown, TX

May 1954 .................. Reg Layzell's 10-week mission to Sweden, Denmark, and Germany

July 1954 ................... Violet Kiteley and Joe Morse preach for Glad Tidings in Vancouver

April 1955 ................. Neal, Murphy, Marshall, Pemberton, Frodsham, and Graham in St. Louis

May 1955 ................... Lura Grubb, Joe Morse speak to IAOGI convention in Minneapolis

May 1955 .................. Max Wyatt and A. D. Marney in Missouri (Pastor A. J. Rowden)

September 1955 ........ Winston Nunes, Ivan Spencer, and others speak in Des Moines, Iowa

May 1956 .................. Report on Max Wyatt's trip to India, Egypt, and Europe

September 1956 ........ Max Wyatt preaches at church pastored by Leonard Fox

September 1956 ........ Reg Layzell preaches at church in Whalley, BC pastored by Violet Kiteley

February 1957 ........... M. D. Beall, her son, and Modest Pemberton speak in L.A. (Pastor Earl Lee)

April 1957 .................. Carlton Spencer's report on a five-month missions tour

August 1957 .............. Charles Green preaches in Hattiesburg, Mississippi (Pastor Paul Stern)

December 1957 ......... George Chambers dies

April 1958 .................. Donald Murphy, Jack Opie, and Taylor Huntley Frazier at Bethesda

June 1958 .................. Bethesda congregation is pictured in Life magazine story

July 1958 .................. David Schoch and Carlton Spencer speak at Crescent Beach camp

January 1959 ............. Ern Hawtin and Dewey Burkett in Australia

July 1959 ................... David Schoch at Elim Bible Institute 

September 1959 ......... James Lee Beall speaks in San Bernandino, CA (Pastor Leonard Fox)

November 1959 ......... Thomas Wyatt's ministry buys the Embassy Auditorium in LA

1960 ........................... Ione Glaeser, a coordinator of Revival Fellowship Ministers Retreat

February 1960 ........... Reg Layzell, back from Africa, preaches in Philadelphia

April 3, 1960 .............. Charismatic Movement begins (the LRM was a precursor) (19)

April 1960 ................. Carl Neal, Donald Murphy, Leonard Fox and others at Bethesda in Detroit

June 1960 .................. M. D. Beall, Charles Green, and others speak in Biloxi, Mississippi

December 1960 ......... Jim and Pat Kirkptarick, Glad Tidings' missionaries to Formosa

May 1961 .................. James Lee Beall preaches at Glad Tidings in Vancouver

May 1961 .................. Stanley Frodsham and Ern Hawtin minister in California

1962 .......................... David Schoch at the first NLCI national ministers conference (NZ)

1962 .......................... Patricia Beall Gruits' book, Understanding God, is published

1962 .......................... Part of the Bethesda Missionary Temple facility is destroyed by lightning

May 1962 ................. The Bealls, A. D. Marney and others preach in Kansas City, Missouri

September 1962 ........ Poole, Layzell speak in Long Beach, CA (Pastor David Schoch)

1963 ..........................  Fred Poole dies

Jan 1963 .................... Harry Hodge dies

May 1963 ................... Mom Beall, Harry Beall, and Tony Weatherly speak in Houston

April 1964 .................  Thomas Wyatt dies

June 1964 .................. Bethesda featured in Detroit Free Press on its 30th anniversary

July 1964 .................... Revival Temple in Ft. Worth, 10th annual convention (LaVerne Flowers)

September 1964 ......... Carl Neal, Fox preach in Long Beach, CA (Pastor David Schoch)

November 1964 ......... Ernest Gentile and David Schoch speak at Muscoy, CA (Pastor Leonard Fox)

November 1965 .......... Harold Allcock and John Cooke preach in Los Angeles (Evelyn Wyatt)

November 1965 .......... Mom Beall speaks in Los Angeles (pastors Earl and Rhoda Lee)

November 1965 .......... Gentile, Schoch, Evans, Glaeser, Ellis, Haines, and Rohrig in Arizona

April 1966 ................... Charlotte Baker preaches in Oakland, CA (Pastor Violet Kiteley)

May 1967 ................... Bill Britton, Marney, Grubb and others preach in Wichita, Kansas

October 1966 ............. Don Price dies

December 1966 ......... Harold Allcock speaks at Wings of Healing (director, Evelyn Wyatt)

June 1967 .................. Speakers from Elim at missions conference (Pastor Leonard Fox)

July 1967 ................... Paul and Lura Grubb speak in Los Angeles (hostess Evelyn Watt)

November 1967 ........ Max Wyatt and Clair Hutchins speak in Minneapolis 

July 1968 ................... Ernest Gentile, Mom Beall, others preach in Ft. Worth, TX convention

July 1968 ................... Stanley Frodsham, Bob Mumford, Costa Deir and others at Elim camp

June 1969 .................. Rhoda Lee preaches in Palm Springs, CA (Host pastors - the Smiths)

December 1969 ......... Stanley Frodsham dies

February 1970 ........... Kevin Conner speaks at Faith Tabernacle in Rochester, NY 

August 1970 .............  Ivan Q. Spencer dies

August 1970 .............. International convocation featuring Elim missionaries Sickler and Dodzweit

August 1970 .............. John Poole, Kevin Conner, and others speak at World MAP camp 

October 1970 ............. Reg Layzell retires from the pastorate of Glad Tidings (Vancouver)

1971 .......................... Malachuk acquires Herald of Faith/ Harvest Time (it becomes Logos Journal)

March 1971 ............... James Watt, Green, and Fox in Charismatic convention in Surrey, BC

May 1971 .................. Bruce Stallwood served as a missionary in Nigeria for 15 years

June 1971 .................. Green, Pemberton, Meares speak at Bethesda dedicatory convention

May 1972 .................. Kevin Conner, Peter Morrow, Howard Carter and others in Australia

July 1972 ................... Glad Tidings Missionary Society effects Taiwan and Singapore

October 1972 ............ Kevin Conner preaches at Glad Tidings in Vancouver

September 1972 ........ Leonard and Rozella Fox lead bible college in San Bernadino, CA

December 1972 ......... David Schoch, Howard Carter preach in Australia 

January 1973 ............. Kayy Gordon, Glad Tidings' missionary to the Arctic

May 1973 .................. Nunes, Beall speak at Greater Pittsburgh Charismatic Conference

June 1973 .................. John Poole, Winston Nunes, and others speak at Pacific NW conference

July 1973 .................. Taylor Huntley Frazier holds meetings at Baptist church in Lousiana

July 1973 .................. James Lee Beall and others speak at Faith Temple in Rochester, NY

October 1973 ............ J. L. Beall, Kiteley, Lucas, and Baker speak at Glad Tidings in Vancouver

November 1973 ........ Hugh Layzell "established more than 150 churches in Uganda"

February 1974 ........... James Lee Beall speaks at FGBMFI convention in Washington, D. C.

1974 .......................... James Lee Beall speaks at the World Conference on the Holy Spirit (20)

October 1974 ............ Rob Wheeler, Charles Green preach in Calgary (Pastor John Lucas)

September 1974 ....... Dick Iverson speaks in Surrey, British Columbia (Pastor James Watt)

1975 .......................... Pat and Peter Gruits are called to pioneer a mission in Haiti

May 1975 .................. James Lee Beall preaches in Muncie, Indiana 

June 1975 .................. Charles Green and others speak in Shreveport, Louisiana 

September 1975 .........Dave Huebert ministers in the Arctic and Taiwan

June 1976 ................... Lew Peterson and Dave Huebert speak at Glad Tidings in Vancouver

September 1976 ......... David Kiteley and H. L. Chesser preach convention in Greenville, SC

December 1977 ......... James Lee Beall speaks at Christian Retreat in Bradenton, Florida

1977 ……......……….. Percy G. Hunt dies

1978 .......................... Moses Vegh is inspired to coordinate worship symposiums

October 1978 ............ Charlotte Baker preaches in Australia 

1979 .......................... M. D. Beall written about in A Walk Across America (21)

September 1979 ........ M. D. Beall dies

1980 .......................... Rhema International opens medical facility in Haiti

April 1980 ................ Violet Kiteley listed among the leaders of Washington for Jesus rally

March 1980 .............. Paul Stern, former Bethesda missionary to Africa, pastors in Illinois

1981 .......................... Bill Hamon's book, The Eternal Church, slots LRM in Church history

June 1981 ................. Reg Layzell preaches in Jonesboro, Tennessee 

October 1981 ............ A. Earl Lee dies

November 1981 ........ Ernest Gentile speaks in Bloomington, Minnesota

October 1982 ............ Harold Allcock dies

1983 .......................... Charles Green founds the Network of Christian Ministries (22)

Summer 1983 ............ Iverson, Wheeler, and Kiteley preach in Calgary, Alberta

March 1983 ............... James Lee Beall preaches in Hawaii

July 1983 ................... Glad Tidings builds new sanctuary in Vancouver

November 1984 ......... Reg Layzell dies

August 1985 ............... Dick Iverson speaks at dedication of church founded by David Blomgren

January 1986 .............. Winston Nunes speaks in Tacoma, Washington (Pastor Owen Shackett)

March 1986 ................ Dick and Edie Iverson minister in California

March 1987 ...……….. Herrick Holt dies

1988 .......................... Bethesda moves from Detroit to Sterling Heights, MI (23)

January 1988 ............. Jack Hayford (Foursquare) preaches with LR ministers in Pasadena

March 1988 ............... George Evans and Ernest Gentile speak in Hawaii (Pastor Sam Webb)

January 1989 ............. Joseph Mattsson-Boze dies

July 1992 ................... Kayy Gordon named "Northerner of the Year"

1994 .......................... George Hawtin dies

February 1994 .......... Dennis Balcombe expelled from China

May 1994 ................. Clair Hutchins dies

December 1995 ........  Phyllis C. Spiers dies

January 1996 ............. Lura Grubb dies

February 1999 ........... Winston Nunes dies

July 2002 ……...……. Milford Kirkpatrick dies

July 2003 ................... Erskine Holt dies

July 2005 ................... Word of Faith Church in New Orleans destroyed by Hurricane Katrina

December 2006 .......... Ern Hawtin dies

July 2007 ................... David Schoch dies

July 2008 ................... Garlon Pemberton dies

December 2008 .......... Edie Iverson dies

February 2009 ............ Paul Grubb dies

July 2012 .................... Leonard Fox dies

December 2012 .......... Carlton Spencer dies

February 2013 ............ Paul Stern dies

September 2013 ......... James Lee Beall dies

January 2014 ............... Moses Vegh dies

July 2014 .................... James Watt dies

September 2014 ......... Charlotte Baker dies

November 2015 ......... Violet Kiteley dies (24)

May 2016 .................... George Warnock, author of The Feast of Tabernacles, dies

November 2016 .......... Harry M. Beall dies

April 2017 ................... Paul Cannon, pastor and missionary to Africa, Mexico, and Cuba, dies

April 2018 ................... Dick Iverson dies

May 2018 .................... Rob Wheeler dies

September 2018 .......... Barbara Green dies

February 2019 ……….. Kevin Conner dies

June 2019 ……………. Patricia Beall Gruits dies

June 2021 ....................Donald Murphy dies at 104 years old

August 2021 .................Charles Green dies

September 2021 .......... Hugh Layzell dies

October 2021 ............... David Kiteley dies

December 2021 ........... A book, A History of Contemporary Praise & Worship, is released

(1) according to William Faupel, George Hawtin opened the facility (which was called Sharon Orphanage and Schools) "by calling the student body to fasting and prayer" (Winds from the North: Canadian Contributions to the Pentecostal Movement)

(2) according to Robert K. Burkinshaw, "Branham had attracted overflow crowds to Vancouver's Exhibition Garden in late 1947 with what appeared to many to be genuine demonstrations of miraculous powers of insight and physical healing. The 'North Battleford brethren' (as they came to be known) and many others viewed the events of the Branham meetings as evidence that old-time Pentecostal power and fervour could be revived" (Pilgrims in Lotus Land: Conservative Protestantism in British Columbia, 1917 - 1981)

Jim Watt
Jim Watt, one of the original seven elders in North Battleford says, "Some years later Winston Nunes (now deceased) sought me out as the last living elder of the seven. He sought confirmation to his theory that William Branham, J. E. Stiles and Franklin Hall were the three catalysts that God used to launch the 1948 Northern Canada Revival. I agreed that these three were certainly key principles that motivated the prayer and fasting that birthed this move. But I pointed out that there were other principles equally critical. There was the Presbytery revelation itself; the 5-fold ministry emphasis of Ephesians 4:11-12; the high point of worship through the Heavenly Choir; the 'team spirit' operating within the eldership; the humility and teachability of the leadership; the sensitivity to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit."

Ern Baxter, a Vancouver pastor who was asked to be the local head of the Branham meetings, was persuaded to begin traveling with the evangelist when he left Vancouver, "At the time, I was pastor of a large church, and obtained leave from them, joining Branham in Ashland, Oregon. I started to travel with him as often as I could be away from my church. One year I was away eight months.... I was with Branham from 1947 until I had to leave him, in about 1953 or 1954."

Ernest Gentile writes, "Branham is considered by many the initiator and pacesetter of the healing revivals in 1947, as well as the precursor of the entirely separate Latter Rain movement of 1948."

(3) Jonas Clark reported, "Sometime later the Hawtins called the ministry team and student body to join them in fasting. The students fasted for three weeks. Ernie Hawtin fasted for 40 days. At the end of the fast they gathered together in prayer where the Holy Spirit fell on Brother Ernie in a mighty way. He was an uneducated, simple man that God anointed as a prophet. During this meeting he prophesied for about 30 minutes speaking of a coming revival and the gifts of the Holy Spirit being restored and received by the laying on of hands and prophecy. After this George Hawtin sent everyone to their dorms to search the Scriptures. When they came back the next day they all pointed to the Scriptures in Timothy where Paul speaks of Timothy receiving the gifts of the Spirit by the laying on of hands and prophecy. After this the Hawtins began to lay hands and prophesy over the students and others. That was February 12, 1948."

Violet Kiteley wrote, "In 1948 people were drawn to an old, dilapidated Word War II hangar in an
Violet Kiteley
obscure location in subzero weather. There was no heater, only an old cook stove. The services began daily at 5 a.m. and lasted 10 to 12 hours. No meals were served. This was before the days of television and computers, and there was no media coverage. Yet people came from all over Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Scandinavia, the British Isles and India. Some people claimed they saw prophetic messages in the sky or had dreams and visions that led them to participate in this new movement. Some said they had supernaturally received the address and location of this outpouring and were compelled by the Holy Ghost to go and see for themselves."

One of Kiteley's former congregants, Dennis Balcombe (who went on to become an outstanding missionary to China), writes in his brand new book that "the Holy Spirit did come on them in a big way on February 12, 1948. That very day, many received the gift of healing. A person with a stammer stood up and smoothly delivered a lengthy prophecy on spiritual revival that was about to break out. In the prophecy God said He would restore four areas of spiritual life to the churches before Jesus returned. The four areas were unity, spiritual gifts, praise and worship, and global evangelism. After that, starting with North Battleford, many experienced healing from sickness. Believers met daily and continued to do so for some time." (China's Opening Door: Incredible Stories of the Holy Spirit's Work in the Underground Church)

(4) James Watt wrote, "they held a conference in July of 1948 at North Battleford. Most of the Canadian Provinces were represented, with some 40 of the States of the USA, plus representatives from several other countries. Never will those days be forgotten! God took lives apart and then put them together again with a vision, purpose and anointing that none could doubt. Seven elders functioned together in team spirit under the leadership of George R. Hawtin, God's undisputed leader at that time."

Jonas Clark says, "News of the outpouring spread like wildfire among the Pentecostals throughout Canada, the United States and to Brother Layzell. When Reg Layzell attended the camp-meeting he experienced first hand the Latter Rain. He saw people receive personal prophetic ministry and the ministry of the laying on of hands to receive the gifts of the Spirit. This encounter with the Holy Spirit at this meeting had a tremendous impact on Layzell's life and ministry."

(5) Ern Baxter said of the week-long meetings, "I never saw such a tremendous concentration of the power of God." James Watt described the powerful sound of the corporate worship this way, "Heaven's very strains filled the whole church. It was as a mighty organ, with great swelling chords, and solo parts weaving in and out, yet with perfect harmony."

(6) Richard Riss reports that M. D. Beall wrote, "Everything we saw in the meetings was scriptural and beautiful. We left the meeting with a new touch of God upon our souls and ministry. We certainly feel transformed by the power of God. Never in our lives had we ever felt the power of God as we do now and we feel we are carrying something back to our assembly we never had before"(A Survey of 20th-Century Revival Movements in North America)

Jonas Clark says that Reg Layzell had "asked the Hawtin brothers to minister at his church in Vancouver. The duo agreed and came to Glad Tidings Temple with several others. These men formed the prophetic presbytery team and held meetings from November 8 to 22. This prophetic team offered personal prophecy and impartation to many believers at the church including Hugh and Audrey Layzell, several pastors and others who came from different parts of British Columbia and Washington State. These candidates had spent at least three days in prayer and fasting preparing themselves to receive prophecy and the ministry of the laying on of hands. During the services they would sit on the first row of the church until such a time as the prophetic team felt the unction of the Holy Spirit to minister to them. Then they would call them forward and prophesy."

Moses Vegh wrote, "At that meeting the word of the Lord given to 'Mom' Beall, through the prophetic presbytery, was a powerful confirmation of all that the Lord had spoken to her about the 'armory' in Detroit" (The Chronicles of Moses: Acts of an Apostolic Journey)

Hugh Layzell
Hugh Layzell confirms the story this way: "After a day or two, the brethren agreed to minister to her in presbytery. Audrey and I remember this incident very well. As soon as she knelt before the presbyters, Ern Hawtin began to prophesy. He said, (something like this) 'Has not the Lord called you to build for Him an armory, where His last day army will be trained and equipped with the gifts of the Spirit in order to take the gospel to the ends of the earth in these last days?' This was, in effect, the very word she had received from the Lord concerning the Church in Detroit" (Sons of His Purpose: The Interweaving of the Ministry of Reg Layzell, and His Son, Hugh, During a Season of Revival)

(7) according to Bethesda's website, "December 5, 1948 was a turning point in the [life] of every Bethesdan. That Sunday morning everyone was gathered for church in the basement building. Opening the service, James Beall asked everyone to stand, and suddenly everyone in the building started singing praises to God in the Spirit .... this continued for about an hour. People were saved, filled with the Holy Spirit and healed in their bodies during this time. As the praise subsided a new song was born.

   'This is the promise of the coming latter rain,
    Lift up your eyes behold the ripening grain.
    Many signs and wonders in His might name,
    Drink, oh drink, My people for this is latter rain.'


"That Sunday marked the beginning of what came to be known as the Latter Rain Revival."

(8) according to Richard Riss, "Mrs. Beall wrote a letter to Stanley Frodsham, a pioneer of the early Pentecostal movement at the turn of the century, a leader of the Assemblies of God denomination, and the editor of the Pentecostal Evangel for twenty-eight years. In her letter, Mrs. Beall described what was happening in her church, and Frodsham decided to leave Springfield, Missouri to visit the church in Detroit. He arrived in January of 1949, and 'he was swept away by the revival taking place in Detroit.... He was moved deeply by scenes of people under great conviction of sin, making confession and finding peace'" (A Survey of 20th-Century Revival Movements in North America)

(9) from Bethesda's website, "on February 13, 1949 the main sanctuary [seating 1,800] was dedicated. When the doors opened, it was immediately filled and at least 1,700 people were turned away. Services were held night and day for the next three and one half years."

Richard Riss quotes Mom Beall as having written, "The day of the dedication of the Temple will be a day never to be forgotten. Not only was the Temple filled to capacity with people but it was also filled with the presence of God. Such singing, such worshipping of God, such prophecies, such supernatural utterances will always remain the greatest wonderment of our lives" (Latter Rain: The Latter Rain Movement of 1948 and the Mid-Twentieth Century Evangelical Awakening)

Riss also quotes Mom Beall as having written, "Without publishing any advertising people flocked to our doors from every part of the world" (Latter Rain: The Latter Rain Movement of 1948 and the Mid-Twentieth Century Evangelical Awakening)

(10) in the Dictionary of Charismatic and Pentecostal Movements: "In February 1949 Dr. Thomas
Wyatt of Portland, Oregon, invited the Hawtin party to his church, Wings of Healing Temple, where George Hawtin and Milford Kirkpatrick ministered to ninety preachers from almost every part of North America. One of the pastors attending was Dr. A. Earl Lee of Los Angeles, California, whose church became a center of revival soon after he returned."

(11) according to William Faupel, "The meetings were conducted 15-17 [that is a typographical error; the dates were 5 -17] July 1949. The local newspaper, The North Battleford News, took note, 'Hundreds of visitors from every part of the prairie provinces, from the North West Territories, and from many parts of the United States, including as far so as Alabama ... are arriving daily.... North Battleford hotels and cafes are crowded ... with visitors,' It concluded that close to 3,000 attended the meetings, returning 'to their various places refreshed and ready to go on with their work with new vigor'"  (Winds from the North: Canadian Contributions to the Pentecostal Movement)

(12) according to Richard Riss, "On August 24, 1949, Bethesda Missionary Temple in Detroit, Michigan resigned from the Assemblies of God denomination"  (Latter Rain: The Latter Rain Movement of 1948 and the Mid-Twentieth Century Evangelical Awakening)

(13) Ivan Q. Spencer was the founder of Elim Bible Institute in Lima, NY. Richard Riss quotes the following from Spencer's editorial, "We sometimes find expressions, either spoken or written, that some organization or group of Christian people claims to be the custodians of certain revelations of truth that they are the recipients of special blessings and experiences from the Lord. By so doing, self is exalted and others belittled.... Some claim the Latter Rain outpouring fell on them nearly fifty years ago and because of this they are the custodians of this mighty move of God. Others, who have come into this present spiritual awakening, may feel that the Latter Rain is exclusively theirs. Such an attitude is clear evidence of the fact that they have not received a revelation of the truth God is bringing at this time of the oneness of the body of Christ, namely that all are one, regardless of denomination or organization affiliation...." (Latter Rain: The Latter Rain Movement of 1948 and the Mid-Twentieth Century Evangelical Awakening)

(14) according to William Faupel, "Thomas Wyatt brought the climaxing message at the first 'National Latter Rain Convention' in St. Louis on 15 November 1950"  (Winds from the North: Canadian Contributions to the Pentecostal Movement)

(15) Walker was a teenaged preaching phenomenon at the time.

Born in 1934, Walker was a precocious child.

He recalls, "From the age of nine to twelve we traveled the West Coast, with our first revival meetings in the Los Angeles area. We preached everywhere from tent meetings in North Hollywood to the Philharmonic Auditorium, the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium, and the Angelus Temple. Thousands attended those meetings with hundreds receiving Christ as their personal Savior and many testifying to being healed of various illnesses.

"From Los Angeles we traveled up the coast to Oregon and Washington where I continued to preach. Those were the days of the great 'healing revivals.' Being so very young, I did not understand all that was happening in the church realm. All I knew was that a wonderful visitation of the Power of God was taking place. I was teamed with ministers such as William Branham, Thomas Wyatt, Ma Beall, Chaplain Ray, The McAllisters, and the Argue family" (The Journey: Walking with the Walkers)

Little David draws 12,000 in Detroit
He would have been 15 or 16 years old when Bethesda sponsored his meetings. Walker writes, "Also in 1950, twelve thousand people filled the fairgrounds for meetings in Detroit, Michigan. The newspaper reported visible miracles in this crusade" (The Journey: Walking with the Walkers)

(16) according to Dennis McClendon in the July 1, 1951 edition of the Houston Post, "During the meetings that closed June 17, more than 400 ministers were in attendance. Missionary leaders came from every continent of the globe. Countries represented by delegates included Liberia, India, Canada, China, Australia, Peru and England, the Rev. Mr. [Modest] Pemberton said. The average nightly attendance under the oversized tents exceeded 2,000 persons. There were representatives from every state in the Union - more than 30,000 in all [a cumulative attendance figure for the two-week camp meeting]. 'We had made big plans but the Lord made them even bigger,' the minister said."

(17) this publication marked the fulfillment of a prophecy delivered on January 28, 1949 that a paper called the Latter Rain Evangel would go out from the Bethesda Missionary Temple in Detroit

(18) according to Mark Hutchinson, who quotes Barry Chant on this matter. This article should be read with caution, however, as Hutchinson is inaccurate in places (e.g., he identifies Ivan Spencer as being from Rhode Island [he was from Lima, NY], and he says Thomas Wyatt picked up Latter Rain teachings in Portland, Oregon [Wyatt resided in Portland, OR and was the initial promoter of the LRM there])

(19) the Latter Rain and Charismatic Movements were, for the most part, separate movements but there was overlap and many see the Latter Rain Movement as the precursor of the Charismatic Movement

According to John Sherrill, an Episcopal priest Dennis Bennett "prayed for and received the baptism [in the Holy Spirit]" on November 14, 1959. On April 3, 1960 he told his 2600-member St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Van Nuys, California about his tongues-speaking experience. Sherrill writes, "Newspapers carried the story the next day. The wire services picked it up. Overnight the story swept the country: speaking in tongues had appeared in a decent, ordinary church and had caused strife, division and dissension. Time carried the story. So did Newsweek" (They Speak with Other Tongues).

According to Vinson Synan, "Many consider him [Bennett] to be the father of the charismatic movement" (An Eyewitness Remembers a Century of the Holy Spirit).

Dick Iverson states, "The 'latter rain' outpouring, as it was called, became a major stream of the Holy Spirit emphasizing praise and worship (with its power to open the Word), along with prophecy and the laying on of hands. It is within that movement that the roots of the charismatic movement originated" (The Journey: A Lifetime of Prophetic Moments)

Elsewhere Dick Iverson says, "If you know anything about Latter Rain there was a true move of the Holy Spirit and a number of truths that we enjoy today really came out of the Latter Rain move, such as extended free worship in song and praise and the laying on of hands and prophecy" (Guarding the Local Church: Identifying False Ministries).

According to author Peter Althouse, "Latter Rain centre Bethesda Missionary Temple, Detroit, played a role in the development of the Charismatic Movement. James Lee Beall not only succeeded his mother as pastor of the church, but he was a frequent contributor to the widespread Charismatic periodical Logos Journal" (Spirit of the Last Days: Pentecostal Eschatology in Conversation with Jurgen Moltmann).

(20) the conference was held in Jerusalem and was sponsored by the Charismatic magazine Logos Journal (articles by Beall appeared several times in Logos). Besides Beall, speakers included: David du Plessis, Kathryn Kuhlman, Corrie ten Boom, Pat Robertson, Jamie Buckingham, Charles Simpson, Arthur Katz, Williard Cantelon, Gen. Ralph Haines, and Charles Farah. The only other speaker with Latter Rain connections was Elim Fellowship's Missions Secretary Costa Deir.

(21) Peter Jenkins' book about his trek on foot from New York to Louisiana made the New York Times bestseller list. He spends several pages telling about his experience of hearing M. D. Beall speak at Word of Faith Temple in New Orleans. He notes that "Although Mom was over eighty she now looked shot full of the most powerful energy in life" (A Walk Across America).

(22) the NCM was designed to promote unity and fellowship in the Body of Christ. Green invited the participation of not only ministers with Latter Rain roots, but also such ministers as Paul Paino (Calvary Ministries International), Kenneth Copeland (Word-Faith), Charles Simpson (Shepherding/Discipleship), and Bob Weiner (Maranatha campus ministries).

Green told New Wine magazine in December 1985, "The Network of Christian Ministries started in July 1983 when John Gimenez, pastor of Rock Church, Virginia Beach, Virginia, Emanuele Cannistraci, pastor of Evangel Christian Fellowship, San Jose, California, and I began to feel that something positive should be done to reach across barriers and join the different facets of the body of Christ."

(23) Bethesda Missionary Temple moved from its location on Van Dyke and Nevada avenues in Detroit to the suburb of Sterling Heights. The 3,000-seat church is now known as Bethesda Christian Church.

(24) Violet Kiteley was present when the revival broke out in North Battleford, Saskatchewan in 1948. A few years ago, she wrote an article about the revival for Charisma's news website. It can be read here. She founded a church in Oakland, California - Shiloh Church - that celebrated its 50th anniversary in September 2015. A video of the celebratory service can be seen here. At her passing on Thanksgiving, November 2015, Cindy Jacobs wrote an eulogizing article on the Charisma news website. It can be read here. Her memorial service is scheduled for December 2 at Shiloh Church.

Violet's headstone
In a Facebook post on November 27, Bishop Joseph Garlington said of Violet, "A Real Life Pioneer Is Gone!

"Yesterday, Dr. Violet Kiteley, the founder of the great Shiloh Christian Fellowship, now Shiloh Church was summoned home at 1:25 CST. Her prophetic footprint is on so many places on the earth, that they are too numerous to number. Her amazing prophetic anointing was always carried in a vessel of profound humility. Dr. Kiteley’s insight to scripture, her capacity to discern the seasons of the Holy Spirit’s work in the church always positioned her to be on the cutting edge of the Spirit’s work.

"She pioneered the incredible season of emphasis on worship; most of our current worshippers have no idea that Shiloh Christian Fellowship was the fountainhead of the beginning of much that is now called Contemporary worship. The retrieval of the arts and their restoration in the church began decades ago in her church in Northern California.

"Shiloh was one of the early pioneers in cross-cultural and multiracial congregations. Their leadership in the Prophetic Movement that began decades ago, made room for the many churches that are now enjoying the prophetic emphasis in their assemblies. Dr. Kiteley was a true pioneer in every sense of the word as she participated in the earlier move of God that took place in Northwest Canada, often known as The Latter Rain Movement. Hundreds of thousands owe to her life and ministry the benefit of the grace they now enjoy. Churches have been planted in many foreign nations and only heaven will reveal the measure to which the lives of those reading my words have been touched by her life and ministry."


Saturday 4 July 2020

Vintage James Lee Beall


Simply click on the white-and-orange play button to hear a talk that the late Pastor James Lee Beall gave to a Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International convention in Washington, D. C. back in January 1973.

In the very enjoyable - and often humorous - 58-minute talk, Pastor Beall relates the amazing history of his mother's (M. D. "Mom" Beall) spiritual journey, as well as, the history of the church she founded in Detroit, Bethesda Missionary Temple (now known as, Bethesda Christian Church in Sterling Heights, Michigan).

If you know others who would like to hear Pastor Beall once more there is a Share button in the upper right corner.

Other items about Pastor Beall on this blog include:
Here's a clipping of a Medill News Service article about the FGBMFI convention Pastor Beall spoke at. Notice the mention of his prayer at the large prayer breakfast.

James Beall, Sen. Hatfield FGBMFI 1973James Beall, Sen. Hatfield FGBMFI 1973 Fri, Jan 19, 1973 – Page 5 · Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, Illinois) · Newspapers.com James Beall at FGBMFI in Washington D. C. (Feb 1974)James Beall at FGBMFI in Washington D. C. (Feb 1974) Wed, Feb 20, 1974 – 3 · The Millville Daily (Millville, New Jersey) · Newspapers.com

Friday 3 July 2020

REVIEWED: Charles Green's latest book

Pastor Charles Green's new book, Light of Victory: The True Story of My Total Deliverance from Fear,
Charles Green and his late wife, Barbara
Charles Green and his late wife, Barbara
Anxiety, and Depression
, is going to be a trustworthy lifesaver for those who feel they are sinking under tormenting waves of fear, anxiety, and depression the way he was as a 35-year-old pastor decades ago.

But it's not just survival the book's offering - readers are shown who is the Light of Victory, how they can receive deliverance, and how they can live victoriously through any of life's battles.

Most readers acquainted with this blog and with the Latter Rain Movement will be aware that Pastor Green founded Word of Faith Temple in New Orleans in 1953 and pastored it for 57 years. It was for many years the largest church in the city. Today, it is known as LifeGate Church in Metairie, Louisiana and is pastored by his son, Michael.

Green, who is 94 and living in Texas, is one of the few remaining pioneers of the Latter Rain revival that began in 1948. Others include Hugh Layzell, Kayy Gordon, Ernest Gentile, Donald Murphy, and Anne Morrow [ UPDATE: since this item was posted, Brother Charles, Donald Murphy, and Hugh Layzell have gone to be with the Lord.]

He is still actively involved in ministry, preaching both in the United States and abroad (he even speaks in Light of Victory about his "next book"). And it's ministry that prompted the writing of this important book.

Green suffered terribly in 1961 when, out of nowhere, he was seized by inexplicable - and almost paralyzing - fear. For seven months, he slept little and was tormented by anxiety and depression. Initially, his only relief came in times of prayer and when he was preaching. 

He writes, "What was happening to me seemed horrible at the time. Now I realize it led to great victory. It totally changed me as a person, and it changed my perspective on ministry."

Like one beggar telling another where he found bread, Green compassionately wants to minister to those who are suffering as he was. He knows firsthand the despair, loneliness, and loss of joy that day-after-day suffering brings. And he knows where complete freedom can be found. He knows how to ascend out of the darkness of such torment, and how to once again revel in light-filled living.

It's important to note that this suffering was not brought on by sin in Green's life. That may be how some wind up in deep anxiety (and they, too, can be helped by this book), but that was not true in his case.

Though he could not see it until after the seven-month ordeal, the causes were "my work ethic and my past teachings that brought condemnation into my life and ministry."

His work ethic would certainly have burned out most people. Even in childhood, he was as industrious as anyone I've heard about. When reading his full slate of activities as a student and later as a busy pastor, I was astounded. 

Add to that grind the legalistic church teachings that provoked perfectionism in him, and you have a recipe for burnout that can leave a person vulnerable to the attack of the enemy of their soul.

The powerful deliverance that he experienced is told authentically - readers will be delighted to see how more than survival can be achieved; real healing and victory are available.

Instinctively, you know that Jesus has the remedy. But, not everyone knows how to help sufferers out of the darkness of despair into the healing, freeing light of God. Charles Green even admits that prior to his experience, he would tell folks, "Don't worry about it. Forget it, and just act as if it were not there. It will soon go away." 

Sometimes it does; sometimes, tragically, it doesn't. Brother Green knows experientially how relief and healing can be grasped. He will take you step-by-step, showing you clearly and understandably - without psychological and theological jargon - where the light is. And even if you are not a sufferer, this material will show you how best to help those who are.

Click here to listen to Charles Green being interviewed about his book by Steve Strang and the late Dr. Steve Greene.

Light of Victory can be purchased from Amazon on Kindle or in paperback.

Charles Green is featured in three other posts on this blog: