"Although neglected in scholarly literature, the Latter Rain foreshadowed themes that emerged [in] the 1970s to the early 2000s.... Latter Rain participants - ousted by the Pentecostal denominations - became a diaspora of the Spirit" - The Cambridge Companion to Pentecostalism, 2014
don't miss a thing ...
scroll all the way to the bottom and see LARGE, hard-to-find photos of the Pembertons, Earl Lee, Mom Beall, and others!
This is a photo of the sanctuary of Bethesda Missionary Temple in Detroit.
In 1949, this date - February 13 - fell on a Sunday. It was a glorious day for the congregation of Bethesda Missionary Temple in Detroit, Michigan, as it dedicated its new sanctuary located on Van Dyke and Nevada avenues.
Mom Beall
The congregation had already experienced an outbreak of revival (what came to be known as the Latter Rain Revival) two months before on December 5, but the building dedication just took the congregation yet higher in revival blessing - so much so that, from February 13 on, Bethesda was to have services virtually every day for the next three and one-half years! (That is one of the telltale signs of a heaven-sent revival - people want to be in church).
Bethesda's founding pastor M. D. "Mom" Beall wrote about the momentous dedication in her memoir A Hand on My Shoulder [the passages quoted in this article are used by permission from the memoir's editor, Joy Hughes Gruits, and may not be quoted elsewhere without her permission]:
Not only was the Temple filled to capacity with people, but it was also filled with the glory and presence of God. Such singing, such worshiping of God, such prophecies, such supernatural utterances as we heard from the lips of God's ordained ministers will always remain the greatest wonderment of our lives. It seemed the time just flew. People were being saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, confirmed, and delivered. Everyone was ministering to one another. God let us see by actual demonstration before our very eyes the ministry of the Body of Christ. The teaching of the Body of Christ had not been much in evidence up until this time, but God began to teach through His ministers by precept and example the tremendous truths of the hour. Never had we heard such preaching.
The intensity of the revival's impact at Bethesda, the kind of revelation Pastor Beall mentioned in the paragraph above, the seating capacity (1,700+) of its sanctuary, and the giftedness of Bethesda's ministerial staff, all served to put the church in the vanguard of the Latter Rain Revival.
That leadership role had been prophesied when Pastor Beall traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia in November 1948 to hear ministers from Saskatchewan, Canada who had experienced revival at their Bible school earlier that year. She wrote in her memoir,
Among the many things that were prophesied, one part of the prophesy was almost more than I could receive. These men, who had never been to Detroit, who never at any time had seen the building that God called an Armory, a building almost in a state of completion, began to prophesy concerning it.
"They shall come to thee from the ends of the earth and shall go forth from thee as lions equipped as from a mighty Amory."
As many pastors and congregations across the United States - and even the world - could testify, that prophecy certainly came to pass. During the intense three and one-half years of daily revival services that began on February 13, 1949, believers came from the ends of the earth to experience a fresh outpouring of God's Holy Spirit - and went home equipped to minister to a hurting world.
Pentecostal historian Vinson Synan says, "The Pentecostal movement was at a low ebb in 1948, with a growing dryness and lack of charismatic gifts. Many who heard about the events in Canada believed that it was a new Azusa Street, with many healings, tongues and prophecies. A large center of the revival outside of Canada was the Bethesda Missionary Temple in Detroit, Michigan pastored by Myrtle Beale [sic]. From Detroit, the movement spread across the United States like a prairie wildfire" (in An Eyewitness Remembers the Century of the Holy Spirit, Chosen).
[NOTE: Readers will notice that the Detroit Free Press item below mentions a cost of $200,000 and seating of 3,000. Church sources indicate that the cost ended up $350,000 and an editor's note in A Hand on My Shoulder adds, "The actual seating in the sanctuary turned out to be less than 3,000 people - much to Myrtle's dismay. When Bethesda moved from Detroit to Sterling Heights, an essential requirement of the building program was for the sanctuary to seat 3,000 people to fulfill the number God had given Myrtle so long ago." Pastor Beall's full name was Myrtle Dorthea Beall. Her memoir can be purchased in either paperback or Kindle format at this link. It can also be read for free online at this link.]
Several posts on this website feature M. D. "Mom" Beall, but today, on the occasion of what would have been her 123rd birthday, it is fitting to add one more post - this one featuring her memoir (which is now available for purchase) plus the audio of five of her sermons (which are available online for free - see the links below).
Mom Beall, the founder of the Bethesda Missionary Temple and one of the most prominent ministers in the Latter Rain Movement of 1948, was born in Hubbell, Michigan on December 9, 1894. She died in Detroit on September 18, 1979.
The book begins with Myrtle Dorthea Monville in Hubbell, where she was raised by loving Roman Catholic parents and where she would often feel a mysterious - but affirming - "hand on [her] shoulder," which she would later understand was a sign of God's providential leading in her life.
Readers are taken along as she moves south to Detroit and meets a co-worker at the Champion Sparkplug Company, Harry Lee Beall, who, of course, had no inkling that their courtship would years later result in him being married to the pastor of what was then one of America's largest churches.
It is thrilling to read her accounts of being baptized in the Holy Spirit; of the founding of Bethesda Missionary Temple (initially called, Bethesda Tabernacle) in June 1934; of Harry's dramatic, life-saving healing; of the Lord's directing her to ask a local merchant to buy her a church building (and he did - having received the exact amount of money necessary to do so the very day she asked!); of how Bethesda's intercessory prayer resulted in not one Bethesdan being lost on the battlefields of World War II;of her Detroit church's experience of what became known as the Latter Rain revival; of how the funds poured in to build a sanctuary seating about 1,800, resulting in the project being debt-free upon occupancy; of how her three children grew to be adults that served in the ministry alongside her; and much more. It is a simply told, but riveting, account of what the Lord can do in a life surrendered to him.
Sadly, there are not many books that chronicle the events of the Latter Rain Movement (most that do are featured in the right-hand column of this website); therefore, this is a most valuable book. If you loved the ministry of Mom Beall and/or are interested in the history of the Latter Rain Movement, I strongly urge you to get this book. In fact, do what I have done already this Christmas season - buy copies as gifts for family and friends. It is affordably available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle versions.
It is important to note that the memoir can be still be accessed online for free at this link.
In addition to the YouTube presentation of one of Mom Beall's sermons featured at the bottom of this post (it was delivered at one of her favorite churches, Word of Faith Temple in New Orleans, Louisiana), here are four more of her sermons available on YouTube (just click on a link and the sermon will begin playing):
The Latter Rain Movement of 1948 started in Saskatchewan, Canada. The next places it made dramatic impact were Edmonton, Alberta and Vancouver, British Columbia. But it gained its greatest fame in Detroit, Michigan at a church pastored by a woman; it was called the Bethesda Missionary Temple and it was egalitarian before egalitarian was cool.
The woman pastor was Myrtle Dorthea Beall (1894 - 1979). In most of the literature about her she is called M. D. Beall, but to those who loved the ministry of God through her she was known affectionately as Mom Beall.
She was also called Mom Beall because she was recognized as a mother of the Latter Rain Movement. Some even say she was the mother of the LRM. They mean by this that God had given her a sort of matriarchal care of the movement. While the churches that were affected by the revival were never federated in any formal way, many looked to M. D. Beall and her church for leadership and sometimes covering.
Mom Beall became a pastor in an uncommon way. First of all, she never had any formal theological training. She was simply a wife and a mother of three children who knelt down in her kitchen one day and was baptized in the Holy Spirit - that's right, speaking in tongues right there in the kitchen.
The original Sunday School building
When she innocently told others about this wonderful experience some were alarmed and more than once she was made to feel unwelcome in a church. So, she made arrangements to start a Sunday School for her children and others in the neighborhood in a building formerly used by a tire store. That was way back in 1934.
It is a long but interesting story how that Sunday School grew to be one of America's first megachurches. The Bethesda Missionary Temple was a megachurch before megachurches were cool. Someday I'll get around to telling that story but for right now I'll just tell you how Mom Beall's church became the most well known church in the Latter Rain Movement. (Mom Beall told the entire story in her memoir that was serialized in Bethesda's monthly magazine, the Latter Rain Evangel. The memoir can be read online here.)
With the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941 Bethesda began to pray both for the safety of the young men of their church who were enlisted in the war effort and for revival. God answered those prayers and not one Bethesda life was lost on the battlefields. And seven years to the month later, Bethesda's prayers for revival were answered in a most dramatic fashion.
In late November 1948 Mom Beall traveled to meetings at Glad Tidings Temple in Vancouver. The church was pastored by Reg Layzell and he had invited ministers from the Latter Rain outpouring in Saskatchewan for the special meetings. Historian Richard M. Riss continues the story:
"She travelled 2500 miles by car to attend the meetings in a trip that lasted six days. She wrote:
Mom Beall
"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.
"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 mighty name,
Drink, oh drink, My people for this is latter rain.'
"Two months after this, on February 13, 1949 the main sanctuary [seating about 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."
Just as Riss wrote, the happenings in Detroit drew people from all over the country - and eventually the world. Ivan and Minnie Spencer, who founded Elim Bible Institute, were two of the hundreds of Pentecostal ministers who went to Detroit to experience the revival for themselves. In her biography of Ivan Spencer, Marion Meloon tells the story like this:
The Spencers
"Ivan and Minnie had arrived in Detroit and were soon ushered into the basement sanctuary of Bethesda Temple. As they became aware of the hundreds of people on their faces crying out to God in humiliation and brokenness, they knew that God was in the place. Says Minnie, 'The Scripture, 'Break up your fallow ground,' was being enacted before our eyes.' They, too, fell on their faces, and the Spirit wrought a work in their hearts that was new, and made them new.
"In those days spent in the Temple, with little thought of meals and mundane duties, they witnessed marvelous depths of spiritual victory - manifest in conversions, baptisms, healings, deliverances, and impartations of gifts and ministries by the laying on of hands. Holy spontaneity replaced special programs, though there was much teaching. Prayer groups met as early as five in the morning, continuing into the afternoon. And it was easy to pray - one wanted to do nothing else.
"Yes, revival had come beginning in North America with Canada, then moving down the west coast to as far as Los Angeles. Across the country it came as a great toronado, touching down in many cities, but especially making Detroit its focal point. Why? For Minnie, it was exciting to hear Mrs. Beall, pastor of the Temple, describe their revival prayers and radio programming over the past seven years. Why, it was seven years ago that God had laid upon Minnie the ministry of travail for revival! Her heart leaped within her as she sensed she was hearing the cries of the newborn babe, now delivered." (Ivan Spencer: Willow in the Wind)
Riss writes of another prominent leader that came in contact with the Latter Rain Revival in Detroit and who approved of it as the Spencers had:
Stanley Frodsham
"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)
However, not all Assemblies of God leaders shared Frodsham's opinion of the Latter Rain Revival. Peter Althouse explains what happened:
Relationship with the Assemblies of God also became untenable for Mom Beall and Bethesda and they ended their affiliation with the AOG. Assemblies of God historian Gary McGee provides some background:
"'The 'new order' Latter Rain Movement in reality is giving us nothing that is new in spite of the claims of its advocates,' wrote General Superintendent Ernest S. Williams. For Williams and his colleagues, Latter Rain practices pointed backward to problems that had once vexed the stability, unity, and spiritual integrity of the Pentecostal movement. Neither could the proper interpretation of Scripture justify the teachings of the new movement.
"Opinions on the revival's genuineness varied. The new teachings and the (at times harsh) reactions and counter-reactions revealed a growing gap between establishment Pentecostals and grassroots Pentecostals in some quarters. Although believers in the Latter Rain differed in their teachings to some extent, the General Council listed abuses in the movement and condemned them all in 1949. Latter Rain leaders cried foul. Like the historic churches' condemnations of earlier Pentecostals, so now the Assemblies of God had denounced fellow Pentecostals." (People of the Spirit: The Assemblies of God)
Of course, that is just one side of the story. Australian scholar Mark Hutchinson is a student of Pentecostal history and he writes much more favorably:
"Through people such as Reg Layzell in Vancouver, Myrtle Beall in Detroit, Ivan Spencer in Rhode Island {Spencer as noted above was actually from Lima, New York}, Thomas Wyatt in Oregon, and Earl Lee of Los Angeles, the revival spread all over North America. Wherever they went, the new amalgam of methodology, experience and teaching tapped into the lurking dissatisfaction with the class shift American pentecostalism had experienced under the Assemblies of God, and the memories of the 'Latter Rain' outpouring of power experienced at Azusa Street." (The Canadian Fire: Revivalist Links Between Canada and Australia)
Vinson Synan adds a description of the environment that fostered the spread of the Latter Rain Movement:
"The Pentecostal movement was at a low ebb in 1948, with a growing dryness and lack of charismatic gifts. Many who heard about the events in Canada believed that is was a new Azusa Street, with many healings, tongues and prophecies. A large center of the revival outside of Canada was the Bethesda Missionary Temple in Detroit, Michigan pastored by Myrtle Beale {her name is actually Beall}. From Detroit, the movement spread across the United States like a prairie wildfire." (An Eyewitness Remembers the Century of the Holy Spirit)
Since December of 1948 Bethesda has been known for, among other things, what Pentecostals and Charismatics call "singing in the Spirit". The beautiful, harmonious strains of a congregation with each member singing their own spontaneous song to the Lord came to be identified by some as sounding like a "heavenly choir".
For her part, Mom Beall's preaching was unique. It was unique for its brevity as she often spoke about 15 minutes (imagine that!) It was also unique for its riveting quality - she was a marvelous story teller. And most importantly it was memorable for its spiritual impact. I remember listening to her preach and at once wanting to cry and wanting to laugh for joy. I felt as though I wanted to burst as the anointing on her words dropped into my spirit like nuclear bombs.
Thousands who heard her preach would say the same. Even Peter Jenkins in his New York Times best-seller A Walk Across America tells about the impact of Mom Beall's preaching. His experience of hearing her preach at the Word of Faith Temple in New Orleans in November of 1975 is alone worth the price of the book. The story is lengthy so I won't share it here, but I must note his description of her:
"Although Mom was over eighty she now looked shot full of the most powerful energy in life."
She was, Peter, she was.
When Mom Beall left this earth in 1979 her son James took over as pastor of Bethesda. During his tenure Bethesda moved from its longtime home on Van Dyke and Nevada avenues in Detroit to the suburb of Sterling Heights. James' daughter Analee Dunn took over as pastor of Bethesda (which is now known as Bethesda Christian Church) in 2004. Bethesda's church plant, which includes a 3,000-seat sanctuary, sits on a 92-acre site. [Pastor Dunn retired on June 12, 2016 and turned over the senior pastorate to Patrick Visger.]
Mom's husband was Harry Lee Beall. Mr. Beall was not a preacher but was supportive of his wife's ministry. "Dad was the builder, mother the pastor," James Beall told the Detroit News in an interview after his mother's death.
Besides James, her children included Patricia Beall Gruits and Harry Monville Beall. Patricia, now 90, is the author of a very popular catechism called Understanding God, as well as the leader of a missions organization in Haiti called Rhema International. Harry was a preacher, soloist, and director of Bethesda's choir and orchestra.
In the video above Mom Beall is seen speaking at 1:46 ... Patricia Beall Gruits is seen at 3:08 ... James Beall speaks at 3:34 ... and Analee Dunn speaks at 7:29 ... Patrick Visger is seen at 5:33.
Sterling Heights sanctuary (photo by Elite Pro Audio, copyright 2016)
DIXIE CAMP MEETING - (from l to r) Modest Pemberton, Wayne Pemberton, M. D. "Mom" Beall, Garlon Pemberton
Garlon Pemberton was one of the most vibrant and unforgettable people involved in the Latter Rain Movement of 1948. When the movement started, he and his brothers Wayne and Modest were among the earliest ministers in the U. S. to fully embrace it.
They sponsored the Dixie Camp Meeting in 1951 that did much to spread the blessing and teachings of the young LRM. 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."
McClendon also wrote the following about the Pembertons and their wives:
"Three brothers, natives of Cameron, Texas, are at the energetic core of the World Wide Revival
Garlon & Modest
[Corporation]. The Reverend Modest S. Pemberton, who studied for several years to be a skin specialist, is assisted by an older brother, Wayne C. Pemberton, who had previously been in the oil leasing business.
"A younger brother, the Rev. Garlon L. Pemberton, completes the trio and holds the presidency of the World Wide Revival Corporation. He is a preacher of 12 years, who was once an amateur prize fighter and church-building contractor.
"The ministers are assisted by their wives in all phases of religious activity. Mrs. M. S. Pemberton directs musical programs, Mrs. W. C. Pemberton teaches Sunday school and Mrs. G. L. Pemberton plays the organ."
M. D. "Mom" Beall preached at the camp meeting, and the Pembertons gave this account in the August 1951 issue of the Latter Rain Evangel:
"Sister Beall of Bethesda Temple of Detroit was the principal speaker, speaking each evening at 7:45 P.M. Only God knows just what was accomplished in the meetings. The whole city of Houston was stirred, and people from all over the States, India, Australia, Africa, etc. were here for this glorious time of fellowship with God's people.....
"On Thursday the 14th of June, we saw something we had never seen in our Christian life before. Sister Beall had preached on 'A Lamb for an House,' and we saw approximately 400 men not counting the women and children, who were kneeling on the ground in the sawdust and shavings, weeping and pouring out their hearts to God. We are so sorry we did not have a picture made of this scene. People were healed, filled and delivered throughout the whole meeting. We shall never know until eternity just what was accomplished."
Garlon Pemberton remained close friends with Mom Beall for the rest of her life. In fact, he was one of the speakers at her memorial service in September 1977 (click here to hear Garlon's remarks; first, though, he is introduced by Mom Beall's eldest son, James Lee Beall). Her respect for Garlon was evident in a two-minute portion of one her sermons that can be heard be clicking here.
According to his funeral home obituary, during his 65-year ministry Garlon "started and pastored thirteen churches in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi."
The among the myriad people Brother Pemberton ministered to was the famous pastor, Anne Gimenez. She and her husband, the late John Gimenez, are best known for pastoring Rock Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia, but they also were among the leaders of the massive Washington for Jesus rally in April 1980.
In her autobiography, Born to Preach, Anne relates how Garlon prophesied about her call to minister was she was a teen in Texas. She writes,
"Although the 'presbyters' did not know me, I was called to the altar and Pastor Pemberton began to prophesy over me. The prophetic words were stunningly accurate, reflecting the deepest desires of my heart.
"'Yea, My child…thou art a chosen vessel, chosen all the days of thy life. Thou art a peculiar treasure, even in thy home thou art noted as such...
"'The Lord has reserved thee for this last revival…He has poured out His Spirit mightily on thee. Thou were chosen as a little girl, yea chosen all thy life…
"'The Lord doth lead thee and go before thee. Thou shalt walk in His footsteps and hear Him say, ‘This is the way. Walk ye therein…'".
Later in life he served as an associate pastor at Word of Faith Temple in New Orleans, Louisiana. That church was pastored by Charles E. Green. New York Times best-selling author Peter Jenkins attended that church for awhile and one chapter of his now out-of-print book The Road Unseen creates a representative 'snapshot' of the church and Garlon. Here is just a part of that chapter:
"We pulled into the parking lot of the Word of Faith, our church. The building was built out of cinderblocks painted white and the sanctuary was eight-sided. We'd heard our pastor, Reverend Charles Green, say many times that God had told him to buy the five acres the church was on when it was nothing but a dirt road and a swamp. Now it was some of the most valuable real estate in the entire city.
"Word of Faith was located about a half mile off the interstate right next to a sprawling shopping center called Lake Forest Mall and the Methodist Hospital. The Sunday night crowd was always smaller than Sunday morning's but usually there were at least six hundred folks at this service. Although it was a thirty-five mile drive one way, we felt it was more than worth it. We never left a service in which we hadn't been inspired by God and His Word....
Garlon
"I opened the door for Barbara and Rebekah and also held it for Garlon Pemberton. Garlon, an associate pastor, had grown up tough in Texas. The man had a square build, and his muscles and voice were filled with power. Before becoming a preacher he'd been a boxer, and he was so full of energy he could have sold the excess to the power company. Garlon was loved by everyone and must have been in his early sixties - although no one ever thought about how old he was."
Though Charles Green knew countless ministers, he unequivocally asserted, "No one knew the Bible better than Garlon did. No matter what subject came up he could refer you to several Scriptures by memory."
Garlon died at the age of 91 in July 2008, but his effervescent personality and blessed ministry are not forgotten (for instance, churches still sing his song, "Abraham's Blessings are Mine").
[UPDATE October 6, 2014 - His wife Marie 'Honey' Pemberton died on October 3 and her memorial service will be held tomorrow, October 7. Charles Green will officiate the service. Her funeral home obituary can be read here and she can be seen below in a one-minute video that was recorded a few years ago.]
(from l to r) James Lee Beall with Garlon & Marie Pemberton (This photo is the property of Cyndy Green Crider.)
A lot of things are said on the internet about the Latter Rain Movement of 1948 - and a lot of it is not true. The aim of this blog is to set the record straight.
First, the faith healer William Branham was never part of this movement - never. Some of the early Latter Rain preachers were influenced by Branham but he was never part of the LRM. Ernest Gentile, an author who participated in Latter Rain meetings beginning in 1950, writes:
A pastor in Vancouver, Canada named Reg Layzell invited the ministers from the revival site in Saskatchewan to his church (Glad Tidings) in November 1948.
A pastor from Detroit, Michigan named Myrtle D. "Mom" Beall whose church (Bethesda Missionary Temple) was at that time affiliated with the Assemblies of God went out to Vancouver to see what the revival reports were all about. This what she wrote after attending those meetings:
"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" (Sharon Star magazine).
Moses Vegh, a prophet who pastored and traveled the world during his ministry that spanned decades, writes:
"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, Reg Layzell's son, was an eyewitness of the prophecy and he 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)
The momentum of the revival thus shifted from its early site in Saskatchewan to Vancouver and Detroit. From Vancouver the revival spread to west coast cities like Portland and Los Angeles, and Pentecostal historian Vinson Synan tells about the importance of Detroit to the LRM:
Myrtle Beall
"A large center of the revival outside of Canada was the Bethesda Missionary Temple in Detroit, Michigan pastored by Myrtle Beall. From Detroit, the movement spread across the United States like prairie wildfire" (An Eyewitness Remembers the Century of the Holy Spirit)
Following is a list of some of the ministers involved in the early days of the Latter Rain Movement (absent are the names: William Branham ... Earl Paulk ... Paul Cain - because they were not part of the Latter Rain Movement of 1948! Branham and Cain are more accurately associated with the Healing Revival that swept across the United States in the 1940s and 1950s ... back then Paulk was a minister in the Church of God denomination, Cleveland, Tennessee ... he would later go independent. What is true is that Branham's ministry was an influence on the North Battleford ministers, and Cain and Paulk came to have friends that were in the LRM. But the three were not part of the LRM).
~ highlighting indicates the individual is still alive ~
In 1951 - during the third year of the Latter Rain Movement - M. D. Beall wrote a book entitled, The Plumb Line.
M. D. "Mom" Beall
Mrs. Beall, the pastor of a large Detroit church wrote, "Because of the many questions which we have received concerning the teachings here at the Bethesda Missionary Temple we felt it advisable to make a definite statement concerning our position in this present move of God."
Sixty-three years later, I am very glad that Mom Beall (as she was affectionately known to those who appreciated her ministry) created this record. It is most helpful in correcting the sloppy, inaccurate, and sometimes malicious accounts of Bethesda's teaching that are here and there on the internet.
Specifically helpful is the following passage from chapter one where she gave clear and concise statements that rebutted Bethesda's critics back then - and also the ill-informed ones of this generation,
"Many folks have wondered just what is being taught at the Bethesda Missionary Temple relative to this new move of God and have had some questions in their minds. In view of such questions we wish to present some statements which we feel will clarify our position. For the sake of simplicity we have listed them both pro and con: "FIRST OF ALL WE DO NOT BELIEVE AND STRONGLY DISAPPROVE OF THE FOLLOWING EXTREME TEACHINGS: 1. Forgiveness of sins by man. 2. The Church is built solely upon the foundation of present-day apostles and prophets. 3. Trans-substantiation. 4. Personal leadings and guidance by prophecy. 5. Glorification of the physical bodies of saints in this dispensation prior to the rapture. 6. Impartation of the gift of languages as being necessary to a missionary call. WE DO BELIEVE THAT: 1. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour is the only door into the Church which is His body. 2. Water baptism in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost according to the command of Jesus in Matt. 28:19, or as Peter baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38) and in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 8:16) is scriptural in each case and is the answer of a good conscience toward God (I Peter 3:21). 3. The sovereignty of the local church in both doctrine and practice. 4. It is also the privilege of every believer to be confirmed through: a. Teaching b. Exhortation c. Consecration d. Laying on of hands and Prophecy. "We do not believe that believers are placed in the body through the laying on of hands. "We believe in salvation through the blood, for the sinner, sanctification and the baptism in the Holy Ghost for the believer, and speaking in tongues as a sign following the believer to the unbeliever but we are not Pentecostal, Holiness, Tri-Theistic, Oneness, or Jesus Only, neither are we 'Latter Rain' for Jesus is the 'Latter Rain.' We are Christian believing in the entire Bible and realize that new revelations will come forth from the Word but we do not intend to start another denomination just because of new truth. Bethesda Missionary Temple is NON-DENOMINATIONAL.
"We believe in the FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES of the doctrine of Christ as given in Hebrews 6. The foundation doctrines of:
1. Repentance from dead works 2. Faith toward God 3. Doctrine of baptisms 4. Doctrine of laying on of hands 5. Resurrection of the dead 6. Eternal judgment "All these are the beginning of the Word of Christ, and the exhortation in verse one is, 'LET US GO ON UNTO PERFECTION!' The whole Bible is our statement of doctrine." If someone wants to disagree with any of that they can, of course, and they should if compelled by their understanding of the Word and their conscience. But, out of integrity and fairness, if we want to disagree with the late Mom Beall and Bethesda, let's be sure we understand and represent their positions accurately. Lazily accepting internet rumors then using such to besmirch the reputations of brothers and sisters with labels like "heretic" or "cult" is hardly the way of integrity or a search for truth.
The Plumb Line - written by M. D. "Mom" Beall in 1951
Seventy-five
years ago, in an old tire store on Nevada Avenue in Detroit, a mother of three started a Sunday School for her children and others in the neighborhood. The
date was June 17, 1934.
Tomorrow - more than 3,900 Sundays later - what has become the Bethesda Christian Church will celebrate all that God has developed from such humble beginnings.
M. D. "Mom" Beall was the mother that started the Sunday School. She wasn't looking to pastor a megachurch, but that's what grew from her efforts. Over the decades, what was then known as Bethesda Missionary Temple, grew and grew without the help of church growth methods many advocate today. (A picture of Bethesda's congregation that was published in LIFE magazine in June 1958 can be seen here - after clicking on the link you will need to scroll down the page to see the photo).
September 21, 1979
According to her obituary in the Detroit News in September 1979:
"Membership in the tiny church, with Mrs. Beall as pastor, 'just exploded,' said her son, James. When the church grew out of its tiny quarters, Mrs. Beall's husband, a builder, joined the project. "'Dad was the builder; mother the pastor,' her son recalled."
Today, Bethesda is a suburban church in Sterling Heights, Michigan, seating 3,000. It is non-denominational and can be characterized as Pentecostal or Charismatic (if by Pentecostal one means, practicing speaking in tongues, and if by Charismatic one means, operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit; in this case, nothing more is implied by the usage of those labels).
After revival broke out in North Battleford, Saskatchewan in 1948, Mom Beall traveled to Western Canada to see what it was all about. Specifically, she went to meetings in Vancouver where the revival had spread as well. She returned ablaze with revival fire and her church in Detroit became one of the centers of what became known as the Latter Rain Movement. Other cities with prominent Latter Rain churches were Portland, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Memphis, Chicago, Oklahoma City, Cleveland, New Orleans, Houston, and, of course, Vancouver. Noted Pentecostal historian Vinson Synan says, "The Pentecostal movement was at a low ebb in 1948, with a growing dryness and lack of charismatic gifts. Many who heard about the events in Canada believed that it was a new Azusa Street, with many healings, tongues and prophecies. A large center of the revival outside of Canada was the Bethesda Missionary Temple in Detroit, Michigan pastored by Myrtle Beale [sic]. From Detroit, the movement spread across the United States like a prairie wildfire." An Eyewitness Remembers the Century of the Holy Spirit(Chosen), p. 35.
Another important Pentecostal historian, Allan Anderson, adds, "This movement emphasized the restoration of the 'ministry gifts' of apostles and prophets to the church, spoken prophecies, and the independence of the local church, tending to shun 'denominationalism'. Many of the independent Charismatic churches that constitute a large portion of Pentecostalism in North America today have roots in the Latter Rain movement." An Introduction to Pentecostalism(Cambridge University Press), p. 51.
As has been seen in far too many Pentecostal revivals, pernicious error crept into some of the Latter Rain churches. The most pronounced of these errors was a doctrine called, The Manifest Sons of God. One of the things that proponents of that doctrine taught was that it did not matter what they did in their mortal bodies because they had been spiritually glorified. Mom Beall and her children, who all followed her into the ministry, were grieved by such erroneous teaching and withstood it completely.
Veteran pastor Ernest Gentile, who first experienced the revival in 1950, also notes that, "Within a year of the start of this move of God's Spirit in North Battleford, there were a number of strange happenings throughout North America also labeled 'Latter Rain.' Many visitors to North Battleford, and [other] influential churches across the United States, caught the excitement of what was happening, but missed the basic truths and experience. Thus, as in every movement, characteristics were attributed to the Latter Rain movement that were not part of the original." Your Sons & Daughters Shall Prophesy: Prophetic Gifts in Ministry (Chosen Books).
James Lee Beall, the son quoted in the obituary above, gave some specifics:
James Lee Beall
“Some years back, a group of ministers whom I knew well fell into the trap of believing that the grace of God was license. One of them supposedly received a revelation from God based on Romans 8:10: 'And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.' This meant to him that if a person was in Christ, the body was dead in the sight of the Lord and whatever the body did was of no consequence. This opened the way for drunkenness, adultery, homosexuality, and what have you.
"When I heard what they were teaching, I confronted some of the men. But they were evasive. Some weeks later I received a visit from one of the men whom I had known for years. He asked me if he could conduct a series of meetings at Bethesda.
"I answered, 'Not until we have a few things straight.' Shortly, and to my horror, I learned that all I heard was true. I denied him the meeting, refused to bid him God speed, and made it clear that neither he nor any of his friends would be welcome in the church or in the homes of any of the flock." Your Pastor, Your Shepherd (Logos International), pp. 60-61.
Two well-researched books chronicle the history of the Latter Rain Movement. Richard Riss's The Latter Rain Movement of 1948(Honeycomb Visual Productions) is currently the only booksolely devoted to the topic. Winds from the North: Canadian Contributions to the Pentecostal Movement(Brill Academic Publishers), edited by Michael Wilkinson and Peter Althouse, devotes two chapters (D. William Faupel's, "The New Order of the Latter Rain: Restoration or Renewal?" and Mark Hutchinson's, "The Latter Rain Movement and the Phenomenon of Global Return").
Balanced Biblical teaching and spontaneous, anointed praise and worship have been hallmarks of church life at Bethesda. In fact, the late Judson Cornwall, known for his teaching on praise and worship, stood in Bethesda's pulpit once and told the congregation he was not sure why he had been asked to teach there because the first time he had ever heard the kind of praise and worship that he talked about he was listening to a tape recording of Bethesda. The beauty and harmony of Bethesda's spontaneous worship has been compared to a "heavenly choir" by many that have visited the church.
Bill Hamon further explains, "During [the Latter Rain] movement a new expression of worship and praise flowing up and down like rhythmic waves of gentle ocean breezes and then rising to a crescendo of melodious praises that is best described by the Book of Revelation as 'the sound of many waters' (Rev. 19:6) .... In the 1950s, the praise service would flow continuously for 30 minutes to three hours. Most Charismatics of the 1960s and 1970s came into the Latter Rain type of worship more than the Pentecostal ways of worship [which Hamon describes as shouting 'praises for two or three minutes']." The Eternal Church: A Prophetic Look at the Church - Her History, Restoration, and Destiny (Destiny Image Publishers), chapter 24: The Latter Rain Movement.
Vinson Synan confirms that this expression of worship came to be part of the Charismatic Renewal, as well. John Miller, an instructor at Elim Bible Institute reports, "Vinson Synan stated that the Catholic Charismatic Movement experienced the same heavenly choir phenomena, resulting from its earliest interaction with the Bealls of Detroit, Michigan. Students from Duquesne University (a private Catholic University in Pittsburg [sic], Pennsylvania) and the University of Michigan (a public university in Ann Arbor, Michigan) encountered the Holy Spirit at the Bethesda Tabernacle [sic], and later experienced similar expressions of the heavenly choir in the Catholic Charismatic Movement." "New Order of the Latter Rain: A New Perspective," in The Pneuma Review, Fall 2013, Volume 16, Number 4, p. 71.
As noted earlier, Mom Beall passed away in 1979. Her eldest, Patricia Gruits, is in her 80s
Patricia Beall Gruits
now, but remains active in teaching and missions ministries. Her book, Understanding God, is a best-seller that has been translated into several languages.
James Beall went on to become one of the most sought after speakers in the charismatic movement in the 1970s. From articles in the Logos Journal to speaking at major events like the World Conference on the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem to teachings delivered to Roman Catholic charismatic audiences, James was in the thick of things. He wrote several books, including Laying the Foundation, a methodical teaching on the Christian life using Hebrews 6 as its springboard. He assumed both the pastorate of Bethesda and the microphone of the national radio broadcast, America to Your Knees, from his mother. After decades in Bethesda's pulpit he retired from daily ministry in 2004. Today, the church is pastored by his daughter Analee Dunn. [UPDATE June 2016 - Analee Dunn has retired, turning over the senior pastorate to Patrick Visger.]
Harry M. Beall
The youngest of the three, Harry M. Beall, was for years Bethesda's minister of music in addition to ministering the Word there and in congregations throughout the United States. Now retired from Bethesda's ministry, he lives in Arizona.
I salute and thank Bethesda, its congregation and ministers for 75 years of faithful service. Enjoy your celebration tomorrow! A video commemorating the 75th anniversary can be seen here.
Freep - May 29, 1948 $200,000 Sat, May 29, 1948 – Page 8 · Detroit Free Press (Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, United States of America) · Newspapers.com
