“THE MYTHOLOGIZING OF PENTECOSTAL HISTORY”; A CRITICAL LOOK AT TOMMY WELCHEL’S “THEY TOLD ME THEIR STORIES”
Ruthie Edgerly Oberg
Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center
Presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Pentecostal Studies
INTRODUCTION
Hagiography has long played a role in religious, organizational, and national histories. Stories of larger-than-life men and women imbued with a divine spark have captured imaginations for generations. These legends often emerge through a combination of historical fact, cultural influence, and creative storytelling, typically aimed at inspiring new generations to emulate or build upon the values and beliefs of past heroes. Entire civilizations have been enthralled by Homer’s tales of the Trojan War and Virgil’s epic account of Rome’s founding. For many, the accuracy of such stories is secondary to their power to shape the ethos of the generations they influence.
In 1800, Mason Locke Weems, an evangelical minister and bookseller, published a pamphlet about the recently deceased George Washington. Its popularity spurred him to expand it into a full book by 1808. Among its most enduring tales is the moving story of Isaac Potts, a Quaker who supposedly encountered Washington praying in the woods at Valley Forge. Potts was so inspired by the sight of the general on his knees in prayer that he ran home to tell his wife, “We never thought a man could be a soldier and a Christian, but if there is one in the world, it is Washington.”[1]
This image of Washington kneeling in prayer has become iconic, appearing on book covers about American religion, immortalized in a postage stamp, and enshrined in stained glass in the Congressional Prayer Room of the U.S. Capitol. Yet there is a small problem: the story likely never happened.
While Washington did call his soldiers to prayer at Valley Forge and even pardoned prisoners in honor of a day of prayer and thanksgiving, such historically verifiable moments lack the emotional weight of Potts’ dramatic conversion from pacifistic Quaker to Revolution supporter. Yet it is the unverified stories, such as those in Weems book, that have shaped the enduring public image of Washington in the American imagination.
Tommy Welchel’s books, They Told Me Their Stories and True Stories of the Miracles of Azusa Street and Beyond, are beginning to shape the narratives of William Seymour and the Azusa Street Revival (1906–1909) in a manner reminiscent of Weems’ portrayal of Washington. Just as Weems’ tales amplified the legacy of Washington to inspire national identity, Welchel’s accounts may influence how future generations view the influential revival and its key figures.
“THEY TOLD ME THEIR STORIES”
Tommy Welchel (1943–2022), by his own account, was not interested in spiritual matters during his childhood in Chickasha, Oklahoma. His mother, believing a prophecy that the child she was carrying would be a minister, frequently took him to Pentecostal tent meetings in the late 1940s and 1950s. Welchel claims attendance at meetings led by figures such as Jack Coe, A.A. Allen, and Oral Roberts, who prayed over him on television in 1951. He was also present at William Branham’s famous 1950 Houston meeting, where Branham was photographed with a supposed halo. Young Welchel claimed to have seen the halo himself, though it frightened him more than it inspired him.
By the age of 14, Welchel had turned to petty theft, and by 15, he was living on the streets. Fearing an imminent arrest, he fled to Venice Beach, California, with a friend in 1960. While sitting on the beach, two elderly women approached him, and he suspected they were looking for someone to witness to. “They had those ‘glory buns’ on top of their heads,” he later said, “just like the women in all those revival meetings my mother took me to.”[2] Though insincere, he prayed with the women—and to his own surprise, he claimed that God heard his prayer and saved him.
The women took him to the Pisgah Home, a ministry providing housing for those in need, including the elderly and others without reliable means of income. There, he met several elderly believers affectionately known as “the Azusa Street saints.” These individuals had been major participants in the Azusa Street Revival as teenagers. Over the next six years, Welchel lived among them, listening to their firsthand accounts of the miraculous events that occurred under the leadership of Pastor William Seymour.
Welchel was surprised to learn that these saints had never shared their stories publicly, despite the persistent efforts of prominent Pentecostal leaders such as Demos Shakarian, Tommy Hicks, and David du Plessis. According to Welchel, the saints told him, “God will bring the one we’re to tell our stories to.” They believed that person was Welchel and as they began to tell him the previously unshared stories, he “kept the stories right here in my head where they have been for more than forty years,” he later wrote.[3]
Welchel also linked his appointed role as storykeeper to his Cherokee heritage. In Cherokee tradition, certain individuals, known as “Keepers,” are entrusted with preserving the tribe’s history by listening to the elders. Welchel believed he was a “Keeper” from both sides of his family, and that he was chosen to steward the legacy of Azusa Street.[4]
In 1963, while praying as directed by David du Plessis, Welchel claimed to have a vision of Jesus, in which he was told, “Be patient and be obedient.” Afterward, whenever he tried to share the stories of the Azusa saints, he said he would hear Jesus’ words reminding him to wait. “I couldn’t tell any of the stories until the year 2006,” he explained. “And then, all of a sudden, it was like a fire in me.”[5]
THE FIRST BOOK
In 2006, J. Edward Morris, an independent publisher, was seeking authors who would bless the larger body of Christ. During a meeting with Pastors Paul and Samantha Roach of Faith Family Church in El Reno, Oklahoma, he was introduced to Tommy Welchel, the man who had been sharing stories of individuals who attended the Azusa Street Revival. In his foreword to Azusa Street: They Told Me Their Stories, Morris recounts Welchel’s remembrances of a prophecy that he would one day write a book:
“…there was going to be an international convention of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship in 1966 … and it was to be held at Angelus Temple. Demos Shakarian … wanted to get the Azusa Street Saints to come down to the convention and tell their stories … Jean Darnall [6]was coming to Pisgah … and stopped by to see some of the ladies who were to tell their stories. During conversations, several of the ladies told Jean, ‘If you ever want to get the whole story, go talk to Brother Tommy … because he knows every one of the Saints’ stories and can tell ’em better and more accurately than we can.’ … Jean Darnall came … and when she saw me, she just looked at me and said, ‘Brother Tommy, come over here, I have a word from the Lord for you. The Lord is showing me that all these stories that the Azusa Street Saints have been telling you, and you have been learning and memorizing, will someday be put into a book.’ … What is it now, 40 years later? He’s working it out for the 100-year anniversary.”[7]
It soon became apparent that while Welchel was an engaging storyteller, he was not a writer. So members of Faith Family Church began gathering on Monday and Friday nights for several weeks to hear Welchel recount the stories of the Azusa Street saints. These sessions were then recorded, transcribed, and edited by others who worked to ensure the message was as accurate as possible.[8]
The book describes itself as a collaborative effort with many contributors. The first authors are the Azusa Street saints, who originally lived and shared these stories. The second author is Tommy Welchel, who “waited for the right moment that God had ordained for him to share his stories with a writer/editor who would capture the essence of the stories in written form.” The third authors are J. Edward Morris and Cindy McCowan, who “took this oral tradition and, staying true to the accounts recalled by Tommy, created the stories into an organized record of events from Azusa.” Finally, the book acknowledges God as the most important author, stating that “in His magnificent power, [He] has kept Tommy’s mind clear and precise, preserving these stories in minute detail.”[9]
The book was published in 2006, the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Azusa Street Mission meetings. A revised edition was released in 2008. In the preface to the revised edition, the authors note: “It is not unusual to find errors in oral traditions … we have made some corrections in this book and have researched questions folks have sent to us, and most of the time we have found Tommy’s version to be correct.”[10]
THE SECOND BOOK
In 2013, Destiny Image Publishers released a second book, True Stories of the Miracles of Azusa Street and Beyond, co-authored by Tommy Welchel and Michelle Griffith. This book revisits the stories included in Welchel’s first book but also introduces new accounts of Azusa Street miracles, additional characters, and testimonies of miraculous occurrences connected to the release of the first book.
The book presents Welchel with a notable title: “the last living link to the Azusa Street Awakening.” It features a foreword by Billye Brim and endorsements from prominent figures, including Bill Johnson of Bethel Church, Gloria Copeland of Kenneth and Gloria Copeland Ministries, Lou Engle of The Call, Sid Roth of It’s Supernatural, Randy Clark of Global Awakening, and Rabbi Jason Sobel of FUSION Global.
THE THIRD BOOK
In 2022, a third book, The River of Zion: True Stories of Revival from Israel to Azusa to Today, co-authored by Tommy Welchel and Jody Keck, was published. This book recounts a trip the co-authors took to Israel, combining reflections on the geography and history of Israel with retellings of previously shared Azusa Street stories and a few new details.
Welchel passed away in 2022 at the age of 79, around the time of the book’s release. He is described in the book as an expert on revival, credited with having “read more than 4,000 books on the subject.”
The book features endorsements from notable figures, including Lou Engle of The Call, Billye Brim of Billye Brim Ministries, Sid Roth of It’s Supernatural, Pastor Steven Khoury of Holy Land Missions, Mel Tari of World Mission, Bishop Armstrong Kamau Cheggeh of Churches International, Steve Keck of Upper Room Ministry, and Brian Sanders, director and producer of The Hague or Jerusalem. The foreword is written by Pastor Cleddie Keith of Heritage Fellowship in Florence, Kentucky.
MEET THE AZUSA STREET SAINTS
For many years, Pentecostal and charismatic believers have been captivated by accounts of the revival at William Seymour’s Apostolic Faith Mission, located at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles, California. Eyewitness testimonies, such as those recorded by Frank Bartleman in his book How Pentecost Came to Los Angeles, have fueled the imagination of many. Similarly, The Apostolic Faith (1906–1908), the mission’s official publication, recounts stories of thousands receiving their own personal Pentecost, accompanied by the Holy Spirit’s empowerment for ministry through “signs and wonders.” When the 2006 book was published claiming to unveil previously unheard stories of Azusa Street, it was eagerly received by those desiring to learn more about what God had done in the past and what He might yet do in the future.
The individuals Welchel refers to as “Azusa Street saints” are described as having been children or teenagers during the height of the revival (1906–1909). By the 1960s, many of them were residents at Pisgah Home. When Welchel, a homeless teenager, arrived at Pisgah Home in 1960, these elderly saints took him in as part of their community.
Welchel claims these Pisgah residents shared with him stories of the revival, recounting thousands of miracles they had witnessed. These included hundreds of instances of the lame walking, the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, cancerous tumors falling off, and even creative regrowth of amputated fingers, arms, and legs. He also claims they spoke of spiritual phenomena, such as visible “glory clouds,” “pillars of fire,” and innocent bystanders falling under the power of the Spirit nearly a mile from the revival’s epicenter, despite having no knowledge of or intention of attending the services.
SCOPE OF THIS PAPER
Reports of God’s intervention in human affairs are always of interest to those who believe in divine activity. However, the principle that “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” is particularly relevant in this context. Contemporary sources from the early 1900s, such as The Apostolic Faith, do record miraculous healings at Azusa Street, but none make claims as extraordinary as those attributed to Welchel’s sources.
Given the passage of time, it is impossible to definitively prove or disprove the specific miraculous anecdotes in Welchel’s books. This leaves historians with the task of evaluating the few traceable facts in his narrative for the purpose of assessing the overall credibility of his witness. Should Welchel’s books be placed in the church history section of our libraries, or do they belong in the fiction category? This paper seeks to open that conversation by examining some of the traceable claims presented in his works.
PLACING THE PISGAH SAINTS AT THE AZUSA REVIVAL
Welchel introduced a new cast of characters to the Azusa anthology, many of whom were previously unknown to students of the revival. One significant challenge is that the saints, in Welchel’s books, were rarely identified by both first and last names. Through extensive research in obituaries, periodicals, and newspapers contemporary with both the Azusa revival (1906-1909) and the period slightly before and slightly after when Welchel lived at Pisgah Home (1954-1976), I was able to identify and confirm the existence of Julia A. Carney[11], Alice Riggs[12], Charles Sines[13], Ralph Oliver Lankford[14], Etta Mangrum[15], Frank Cantrell[16], Goldie Stephens[17], and Tom Anderson[18].
However, other individuals whose testimonies appear in Welchel’s books, such as Brother Christopher, Sister Dundee, Brother Fox, Brother Jonah, Brother Brown, Laura Langtroff, David Garcia, and Lucille McGillicuddy, could not be linked to any historical records. For this paper, their stories will not be presented.
Of the Pisgah residents, I have only been able to confirm Tom Anderson as attending the Apostolic Faith Mission during the 1906–1909 period, through contemporary sources. In the December 1906 issue of The Apostolic Faith, it is reported:
“The band of young men that the Lord is using … in Whittier are all in one accord and keep in the unity of the Spirit. They do not preach big sermons but simply testify and sing and pray in the Spirit. Their names are Henry Prentiss, Curtis Nichols, Orly Nichols, Tom Anderson, Wm. Millson, and Isaac Berg.”[19]
Tom Anderson also provides testimony on page 8 of the February–March 1907 issue of the same publication, listing his address as 312 Azusa Street. He testifies to his salvation, deliverance from a drug habit, physical healing from an undisclosed ailment, sanctification, and baptism in the Spirit. On page 4 of the January 1908 issue, Anderson writes from Winnipeg, describing his continued pursuit of God’s ultimate plan for his life. While his involvement in the early stages of the revival is well-documented, there is no mention of him engaging in ministry beyond “simply testifying, singing, and praying in the Spirit.” Thus, it is impossible to verify the claims Welchel attributes to him—such as healing a man with a club foot, restoring sight to the blind, witnessing hundreds of tumors fall to the floor, or seeing physical fire descend on the roof of the mission and the visible mist of the glory cloud.
One other Pisgah resident appears in the historical record. At the 1956 celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival, Julia Carney is described as follows:
“A new convert, when a neighbor, Nellie White, came and told her a friend, Sister Hagg, had phoned that some people at Azusa Street were speaking in tongues. She took a streetcar part of the way and then walked until she arrived at the Mission. Later, she received her Baptism.”[20]
This account directly contradicts the story Welchel attributes to Julia Carney—that at age 16 she had already received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, met William Seymour after he was supernaturally led to her front door in Pasadena, gave him the money for the first month’s rent on 312 Azusa Street, and joined him from the moment they began cleaning the mission building throughout the entirety of the revival.
The accounts Welchel attributes to Carney, Riggs, Sines, Lankford, Mangrum, Cantrell, and Anderson contain little verifiable information beyond a few historically relevant details interwoven with their testimonies of miraculous events.[21] Some of these traceable historical items will be addressed in the following section. They are presented in the format of a summary statement of the claim, a representative quote from Welchel’s books, a fact-check, and a conclusion.[22]
FACT-CHECKING HISTORICAL STATEMENTS IN WELCHEL’S TESTIMONIES [23]
- 312 Azusa Street had previously been used as a barn, housing “all sorts of animals.”
“Sister Carney recalls that Brother Seymour assigned each of the volunteers an area to clean the mounds of animal waste. With a warm smile, she told how grateful she was for the task of cleaning up areas that housed the small goats with their small droppings rather than cleaning up after the horses and cattle.”[24]
FACT CHECK: It is true that the first floor of the building was often referred to as a “barn” because worshippers had stabled their horses there when attending services at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church around the turn of the century. After a fire damaged much of the building in 1904, the first floor was used to stable horses serving the nearby lumber district. However, there are no references from individuals with firsthand knowledge of the April 1906 clean-up process mentioning goats or cows. Such animals would have been out of place in the lumber district of Los Angeles during that period.
CONCLUSION: The claim is partially true but indicates a lack of eyewitness knowledge regarding specific details.
- William Seymour routinely placed a box over the top of his head during the services at the Mission.
“When Seymour came down to the meeting, he would sit down and put a box on his head. At first this startled Sister Carney. Sometimes he would sit with the box over his head for ten minutes and sometimes it would be an hour or more Although the practice seemed ridiculous, Sister Carney realized that he was obeying God, no matter how silly or ridiculous it appeared.”[25]
The imagery of Seymour placing a box on his head is repeated throughout the book and attested to by Carney, Sines, Garcia, Anderson, Dundee, and Riggs. Sines claimed there was a glow around the box while it was on Seymour’s head. Anderson mentioned leaning down as far as possible to see what Seymour was doing but could never look inside the box. Riggs remarked that no one touched Seymour’s box, as it was considered sacred. Sister Carney also asserted that the box was central to the miraculous occurrences, stating: “[The miracles] stopped when Brother Seymour stopped putting that box over his head. When he quit coming down and putting the box on his head, it started dying.”[26]
FACT CHECK: William Seymour did use a commercial wooden packing crate covered with a piece of cotton cloth as the mission’s pulpit. There is one documented eyewitness account of Seymour kneeling in prayer behind the pulpit with his head in the open back of the crate.[27] However, no contemporary records or eyewitness testimonies corroborate the claim that Seymour regularly placed a box over his head. Similarly, there are no reports connecting this alleged practice to the success or continuation of the revival.
CONCLUSION: Mostly false; the claim lacks support from credible eyewitness accounts and suggests a misunderstanding or embellishment of known historical events.
- William Seymour learned of the baptism of the Holy Spirit from Charles Parham in Pasadena, Texas.
“[Seymour] listened and learned about the Holy Spirit from Charles Parham who preached in a suburb of Houston called Pasadena, in Texas.”[28]
FACT CHECK: Seymour did indeed learn of Parham’s teaching on the baptism of the Holy Spirit while in Texas, but it occurred at the Bible Training Institute on Rusk Street in Houston. There is no historical record of Parham ministering or residing in Pasadena, Texas. This confusion may have arisen either from the elderly saints interviewed by Welchel or from Welchel himself, potentially conflating Pasadena, Texas, with Pasadena, California, where some revival participants had earlier connections. While this detail is relatively minor, it does raise questions about the reliability of Welchel’s claim that his memory was divinely protected in every detail.
CONCLUSION: Partially true; the claim reflects an error in location and suggests a lack of firsthand knowledge or a possible conflation of facts.
- Charles Parham sent John G. Lake and F.F. Bosworth to Azusa Street to come under Seymour’s anointing.
“Before you go overseas as missionaries, go to Azusa Street. Make sure you become friends with Seymour. Make sure you hang around him,” Parham instructed. “Get all of his anointing that you can.”[29]
FACT CHECK: John G. Lake and F.F. Bosworth both visited the Apostolic Faith Mission in 1907, and both had prior associations with Charles Parham during their time in Zion, Illinois. However, there is no evidence to suggest that Parham encouraged them to visit Azusa Street or to align themselves with William Seymour’s leadership. In fact, when Parham visited the Apostolic Faith Mission in October 1906, he strongly disapproved of the worship style and practices taking place under Seymour’s direction. Parham remained a vocal critic of the Los Angeles mission for the rest of his life and even went so far as to establish a rival mission temporarily at Broadway and Temple.
CONCLUSION: False; it is highly unlikely that Parham would have encouraged anyone to come under Seymour’s leadership.
- Brother Sines and Brother Christopher played a concert for Queen Victoria.
“[Christopher] and Sines were great friends and played many concerts together in the years following Azusa. In fact, Sines and Christopher went to Great Britain to play a command performance for a very distinguished woman named Victoria of the House of Windsor. Queen Victoria sang some of the songs they played. She gave them very high honors and instructed them not to give the glory to themselves but to God.”[30]
FACT CHECK: It is possible that Sines and Christopher performed concerts in Great Britain after attending the revival services in Los Angeles and before Sines died in 1964 in LA. However, it would have been impossible for them to have performed for Queen Victoria, as she died on January 22, 1901—five years before the beginning of the Azusa Street Revival. Additionally, Welchel later claims that Sines played with Tommy Dorsey’s orchestra. There is no evidence to support this assertion. Sines did, however, compose several gospel songs that were published in Pisgah’s Herald of Hope, and his obituary noted that he was a popular pianist at the Pisgah Home. However, his obituary makes no mention of performing with Dorsey or for the crowned heads of Europe.
CONCLUSION: False; Queen Victoria had been dead for five to ten years when Sines and Christopher are said to have performed a concert for her.
- Ralph Riggs, future general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, and his mother, Alice, worked together to perform many healings during their time at the Apostolic Faith Mission on Azusa Street.
“[Riggs] experienced Azusa with his best friend, C. W. Ward, who was two years his senior … Riggs noted that each of them had six or more miracles or healings every night … Ralph and C. W. Ward were instrumental in founding the Assemblies of God Church.”[31] Several of Welchel’s Azusa saints, including Carney, Anderson, Sines, Cantrell, and Fox, confirmed the active involvement of both Riggs and Ward.
FACT CHECK: Dr. Grant Wacker, Ralph Riggs’ grandson, confirmed that Alice Riggs lived at Pisgah during the 1960s while Ralph was teaching at Bethany Bible College. However, he categorically denies that either Alice or Ralph Riggs attended the Azusa Street revival. None of Ralph Riggs’ writings reference his being in Los Angeles as a child and no one I could find remembered him stating that he attended the revival. Riggs’ own testimony states that he came to Christ in Coal Creek, Tennessee, where his family was exposed to the Pentecostal message. While Riggs did attend the foundational meeting of the Assemblies of God in 1914, he was only eighteen years old at the time and did not participate as a “founder” in any capacity.[32]
CONCLUSION: False; neither Alice Riggs nor Ralph Riggs attended the Azusa Street revival or performed the hundreds of healings attributed to them in Welchel’s accounts. Additionally, Welchel could not have received these testimonies directly from Ralph Riggs, as he frequently states. Riggs would also have not referred to himself as a “founder” of the Assemblies of God. “C.W.” Ward will be considered in the next segment.
- C. M. Ward attended the Azusa Street revival and was well-known for his flamboyant antics.
“Anderson recalled a story about Ward that he thought was somewhat comical. Ward had a unique way of praying for somebody. He would swing his hips and go through all sorts of dramatic gestures. It was almost a theatrical performance. He would do these big, long prayers, swing his shoulders and hips and yell out, ‘In the Name of Jesus!’”[33]
FACT CHECK: Riggs’ friend, referred to as “C. W. Ward,” is almost certainly a reference to C. M. Ward, the longtime evangelist and speaker for the Revivaltime radio broadcast. While his friendship with Riggs is well-documented, Ward was fourteen years younger than Riggs, not two years older, as stated by Welchel in point 6 above. Born in 1909—the year the revival dissipated—Ward could not have attended the Azusa Street revival, much less been a teenager during its height. The Ward family came into Pentecost in 1907 in Winnipeg, and while they were undoubtedly familiar with reports of the California revival, there is no evidence that any family members attended. Additionally, Ward could not have been involved in the founding of the Assemblies of God, as he was only five years old at its inaugural meeting.
CONCLUSION: False; C. M. Ward, while known for his flamboyant antics, was not alive during the time of the Azusa Street revival and did not perform any healings there, nor was he a founder of the Assemblies of God.
- Thomas Wyatt was a medical doctor who, after examining those healed at Azusa Street, quit his medical practice and founded “Wings of Healing Ministry.”
After receiving a miraculous healing at the Azusa mission that caused her to gain forty pounds in just a few hours, a woman “visited her doctor by the name of Thomas Wyatt. When she entered his office, he asked her to fill out the forms for first-time patients – he did not recognize her. When she told him who she was, he could not believe she was the same person … Dr. Wyatt exclaimed, ‘You’re going down to that warehouse, aren’t you?’ … after attending the revival with her, in a few months he was no longer practicing traditional medicine! Dr. Wyatt founded ‘Wings of Healing’ where he experienced miracles galore.”[34]
In Welchel’s second book (which corrects the “White” of the first book to “Wyatt”), he tells of receiving a phone call from a woman claiming to be the granddaughter of the woman who was healed and the wife of Wyatt’s grandson. Welchel writes, “She said, ‘some people are trying to say that Dr. Wyatt wasn’t really there at Azusa. People are trying to discredit the story … Don’t let them kid you, Tommy. Don’t believe them!” … she hung up. I wanted to talk with her more, but my old phone didn’t capture her number and she was gone.”[35]
FACT CHECK: Thomas Wyatt was a healing evangelist in Portland, Oregon, who founded the “Wings of Healing Ministry.” Born in 1891, he would have been only eighteen years old when the Azusa Street revival began to wane in 1909. His biography, Grappling with Destiny, makes no mention of him ever practicing medicine as an adult, let alone as a teenager. Wyatt was a farmer in Iowa until he entered the Pentecostal ministry in the 1930s. Additionally, his personal assistant of more than forty years confirms that Wyatt was never in attendance at the Azusa Street revival nor was he a medical doctor, although he did at times use the title, “Dr. Thomas Wyatt,” though he did not have any advanced degrees. [36]
CONCLUSION: False; Thomas Wyatt was never a medical doctor in the Los Angeles area, nor did he attend the Apostolic Faith Mission during the period Welchel claims. It is possible that Welchel saw a publication that referred to Wyatt as “Dr. Thomas Wyatt” and assumed that he was, at some point, a medical doctor.
- Frank Cantrell was convicted by God for disparaging a man who quacked like a duck in tongues and later went on to preach for decades with the Foursquare Church.
“God taught me a valuable lesson at Azusa. There was a man who started quacking like a duck after receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit … I got upset with him. I thought, ‘This is not a language.’ Many years later in the 1930s, I saw a documentary about a tribe in a place called Quackland. Their language was just like that of a duck. I realized that I was upset with this poor man and all he did was speak in the language of Quackland.”[37]
FACT CHECK: Frank Cantrell did live at Pisgah in the 1960s and was remembered in his obituary as an encourager of the saints, often offering words of exhortation in services. However, the Foursquare Church archives do not indicate any record of his involvement as a licensed minister or missionary. It is possible that he spoke in their churches as a layman, but there is no record in their publications of this. A thorough search of geographical and language databases on the World Wide Web reveals no references to a location or language group named “Quackland.” While documentaries have existed since the early days of filmmaking, no documentary about “Quackland” from the 1930s could be identified.
CONCLUSION: False; No supporting evidence exists for the existence of a tribe of “Quacklanders.”
- Actor Robert Montgomery was horribly disfigured as a two-year old child when he fell from a staircase onto a concrete floor. He was also mentally challenged but, at age five, was healed of all imperfections at the Los Angeles Apostolic Faith Mission.
“This disfigured child grew up to be a handsome Hollywood star. His name was Robert Montgomery … from grotesque disfigurement to a golden boy in Hollywood. How’s that for a miracle?”[38]
FACT CHECK: Montgomery was born in New York in 1904 and would have turned five around the time of the ending the revival. Montgomery spent all of his minority years in New York until making his stage debut in the 1920s in New York City. None of his biographical sketches mention a childhood trip to Los Angeles or a traumatic disfigurement as a child.
CONCLUSION: Unverifiable, but likely false.
- Prominent Foursquare minister, Jean Darnall, played under the pews as a toddler at the Azusa Street revival. Her earliest memories include trying to “catch” the Shekinah glory cloud in her arms and keep it.
“As a mere child, Jean literally breathed the Shekinah Glory into her young, developing lungs. She experienced Azusa through the eyes and mind of a young toddler. Although her mind could not comprehend all that was going on around her, she knew she was in a very special place among some very special people at a very special time.”[39]
“Sister Darnall would become Pastor Darnall when in 1944, she found herself to be the successor to the pulpit of the famed Aimee Semple-McPherson at Angelus Temple.”[40]
In the second book, released in 2013, Welchel makes a correction to this story: “Mistakenly, the identity of this child was attributed to Jean Darnall in my previous book. That is not the truth … The only connection between Pastor Darnall and [this story] is that I came to know [this story] while waiting to hear Pastor Darnall speak [at Angelus Temple].”[41]
FACT CHECK: Welchel corrects his claim regarding Darnall’s presence at Azusa Street in his second book. Darnall was born in 1922, thirteen years after the end of the revival and was, obviously, not in attendance. While Darnall did serve as an associate staff pastor at Angelus Temple, this occurred between 1961 and 1967, not as the successor to Aimee Semple McPherson upon her death in 1944. According to Pisgah’s Herald of Hope, Darnall frequently spoke at Pisgah during the years Welchel resided there, suggesting they would have had contact during that time.
CONCLUSION: False, but partly corrected.
- The fire department was called dozens of times by concerned neighbors who saw flames coming out of the top of the Apostolic Faith Mission.
“[Carney] remembered the fire department coming because of a call that the building was on fire. When they arrived, they didn’t smell any smoke or see any evidence of fire. She didn’t run out with the firemen. She recalled that it was Seymour, Bosworth, Lake, Smith, and Sines who ran out. Lake explained that the fire was coming down from heaven into the building, and fire was going up from the building and meeting the fire coming down. Fascinated, Sister Carney went out one night, walked about a half a block, and saw the awesome sight for herself.”[42]
“The fire department responded that night and a few other nights. They finally realized that it was a supernatural fire sent by God, and the building was never on fire. When others would report the fire, they explained it was God and not to worry.”[43]
FACT CHECK: Bosworth and Lake were in Los Angeles in October of 1907, so one of the fire reports would have been during that time frame. Several daily and weekly newspapers were published in the Los Angeles metro area during the years of the Azusa Street Revival. These papers regularly reported on the activities at the Apostolic Faith Mission and covered local fire department activities, as a matter of course. A thorough search of these newspapers, however, reveals no record of the fire department being called to 312 Azusa Street in October of 1907, nor at any time between 1906 and 1909. While the Apostolic Faith periodical did refer to the “fire of God” being present at the revival, the context reveals that this is to be interpreted metaphorically, not as literal fire.
CONCLUSION: Unverifiable; likely false.
- The Shekinah Glory cloud was often visible at the Apostolic Faith Mission during the revival services.
“[Sister Lucille] would get such joy in her eyes as she told me how much she loved to be in the center of the mist-like cloud. She was so little in stature, she would sit down in it and, when it was thick, the mist was about up to her neck. Like a kid, she would have fun and play in the mist. She would often lie down, breathing it in. She could feel the energy of it and described that it was like pure oxygen being breathed into her lungs. She could smell it, too. The scent was like lilacs to her. Others said it smelled like roses. The aroma depended upon what part of the building you were in at the time.”[44]
“Most of the time the Shekinah Glory was spoken of with reverence, but there was one time Brother Riggs revealed a lighter side. He told me that when Seymour would come down from his apartment, the Shekinah Glory would get so thick that you could hardly see the ground. With a sly smile, he confessed that when it was this thick he and Ward would get in the back of the room and play hide-and-go-seek in the mist.”[45]
FACT CHECK: Much like the visible fire, the “Glory Cloud” is a phenomenon that cannot be definitively proven or disproven. There are no contemporary reports of a visible glory cloud hovering within the mission, although there are reports of the presence of God being “thick” in the services. Again, the context would lead this to be interpreted figuratively rather than literally. Given that neither Riggs nor Ward were present at the meetings, it can be concluded that they did not witness the cloud, nor did they engage in “hide-and-go-seek” in the mist.
CONCLUSION: Partly unverifiable, and partly patently false.
- William Seymour gave a prophecy that 100 years after the Azusa Street revival there would be another revival in the same vein that would dwarf the Day of Pentecost and the Azusa revival.
“Prophecies made during the Azusa Visitation of God at the beginning of the twentieth century tell us that 100 years after Azusa, God will once again visit us sometime between 2009-2010, depending on exactly when this prophesy was made … From all that we can discern, the year of 2008 is the year of preparation! We who hunger for His return and the return of the Shekinah Glory must prepare the way … The Azusa outpouring gives us the blueprint for preparing for His Visitation just prior to the Second Coming of His dear Son.”[46]
FACT CHECK: The prophecy of a “100-years-after Azusa” revival has been attributed to various figures, including Seymour (as in Welchel), Charles Parham (as mentioned in Billye Brim’s forward to the 2008 edition), and Maria Woodworth-Etter (as noted in Lou Engle’s endorsement of the 2013 Welchel book). However, all these accounts are based on anecdotal second-hand evidence — someone heard it from someone who heard it from someone else. Researchers at the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center have spent years trying to trace its origin but have found no record of it in the writings of Seymour, Parham, or Etter. In the 100th anniversary celebration booklet of the Azusa outpouring, published by Trinity Broadcasting Network and Charisma House, there is no reference to this 100-year prophecy. The first written mention of it seems to appear in Tommy Welchel’s first book, published in 2006, after the 100-year celebration had concluded. Furthermore, it does not align with the eschatological beliefs of the leaders to whom it is attributed. Like most early Pentecostals, Etter, Seymour, and Parham believed fervently in the imminent return of Christ, expecting it within their lifetime. Parham himself believed Christ would return by 1925.[47] This view would have led them to believe that the church of 2006-2010 would be living in the millennial kingdom and would not need to experience revival.
CONCLUSION: Unverifiable, but likely false, as it does not align with the worldview of those credited with the prophecy.
There are many, many other items within Welchel’s books that are questionable but fall outside the scope of this paper. Also not addressed are the reports of miracles that have supposedly occurred in connection with the reading or distribution of the book. Like the stories attributed to the Pisgah residents, these reports are entirely anecdotal and can only be assessed based on the credibility of the author, as they lack verifiable names, locations, or dates.
THE IMPACT OF WELCHEL’S AZUSA STORIES
After the release of the first book, readers were astounded by the previously unknown Azusa testimonies. Billye Brim, in the foreword to the updated 2008 edition of They Told Me Their Stories, shares that she reads aloud from Welchel’s book during her meetings, suggesting that the resulting manifestation of God’s presence is a sign that the book serves as a catalyst for the fulfillment of the “100-year prophecy.”[48]
In Lou Engle’s endorsement of the second book, he encourages readers: “We’re in the 100-year period! It’s time. Could this book be the catalyst for this prophesied heavenly invasion to be released? Read afresh the stories of Azusa Street that still go on and become an instrument in this next heavenly invasion.”[49] Later in the book, it’s stated that “the release of Tommy’s first book was a trigger for this anticipated, mightier move of God.”[50]
Welchel also shares that a missionary to China, “Brother X,” claims to have printed 200,000 copies of the first book in Malaysia and that miracles accompany the book’s reading. The missionary reportedly told Welchel in a phone call, “All of China is having revival. They just keep it quiet. There’s only one book that’s more popular than your book in China – the Bible.”[51]
In South America, Welchel mentions that missionary Paul Borel read aloud from his book in an open-air gathering in Brazil, and “people started falling out in the Spirit … Nine thousand, three hundred people were slain in the Spirit” after listening to stories from the book.[52]
In the 2022 book, Welchel shared that “One pastor came from Africa to meet me. He said he wanted my anointing so he could go back to Africa, and God would heal people of Ebola. Many were healed under that man. That’s why people invite me – to receive the impartation.”[53] Welchel also says that Todd Bentley read his book and it influenced his ministry during the Lakeland Revival of 2008.[54]
In terms of book sales, Amazon.com lists Welchel’s first book as #702 in the category of Pentecostal and Charismatic History, while his second book is #370 in Pentecostal and Charismatic History and #308 in History of Christianity. His books have received over 1,400 reviews with an average rating of 4.8 out of 5.0. In contrast, the widely recognized academic history of the Azusa Street revival, Azusa Street: Mission and Revival by Dr. Cecil M. Robeck, Jr., is #1028 in Pentecostal and Charismatic History and #1035 in History of Christianity, with only 202 reviews (though it also has an average rating of 4.8).[55]
Amazon’s top review of Welchel’s True Stories on March 1, 2024, is typical of the other 1,400 reviews:
“Is anything impossible for God? Azusa clearly showed us that God is GOD over the impossible. If you want your faith for miracles to be lifted heaven-high, this is the book for you! The tangible ‘mist’ of the Glory would come, sometimes a heavenly ‘fire’ would appear falling from heaven onto the building (not burning anything up), but people inside would be touched by God’s power and many were healed of impossible and incurable ailments; missing limbs would grow back, facial disfigurements would heal, deaf ears and blind eyes were healed …the list goes on. Tommy Welchel recounts from memory the stories he heard about what went on in the Azusa St. Revival from those who were there. This is a timeless book, preserving the stories of one of the greatest spiritual outpourings in history. Prepare to have your faith fired up for MORE of the Holy Spirit! You will be encouraged to pray for others more and expect miracles!”[56]
Due to the endorsement of celebrity ministers within the charismatic movement, many local church bookstores carry Welchel’s books, and they have been recommended as reading in workshops, seminars, and ministerial training courses in recent years. The DMin course, PTH 939 Sp. Stu.: The Role of Church Revivals in Individual Transformation and Societal Change, in the Summer 2021 session at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri, included Welchel’s books in the course’s required reading. As a result, Welchel has been quoted as an authoritative historian in post-graduate papers on Pentecostal revival history.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
The inaccuracies in Welchel’s claims matter because truth matters. Throughout history, Christianity has suffered from the spread of testimonial stories that were published without proper verification, only to later be discredited. The saying, “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story,” has too often rung true. Within the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement itself, figures like John Todd, Mike Warnke, Mel Tari, Crying Wind, and Lauren Stratford sold millions of books and tapes, only to ultimately undermine the trust of those who believed their narratives. Welchel’s books belong in this unfortunate category.
Christians are naturally inclined to believe in such stories. At its core, Christianity is built upon a foundational story of supernatural events. As believers, we strive to show love and acceptance toward the experiences of our brothers and sisters. Pentecostalism, in particular, carries an inherent appetite for the miraculous, paired with a bias toward belief. In a culture increasingly driven by celebrity endorsements, we are prone to unquestioningly accept what our spiritual heroes affirm. We are drawn to compelling stories that appear to authenticate our belief system. Just as Mike Warnke’s tales validated fears about Satan’s work in the 1970s and 1980s during the “Satanic Panic”, Tommy Welchel’s stories confirm deep desires about the work of the Holy Spirit in the 2010s and 2020s, as people anticipate the “end-time revival.”
This, however, is where the danger lies. Charismatic Christianity has often succumbed to the belief that something must be true simply because we want it to be true. We accept vague and unverifiable testimonies because they “feel right in our spirit,” rarely pausing to seek or expect corroborating evidence for extraordinary claims, lest we be labeled skeptics. But it is entirely reasonable to insist that a book titled True Stories of the Miracles of Azusa Street and Beyond should meet the basic expectation of verifiable truth.
As a movement, Pentecostalism and Charismatic Christianity must collectively agree that exaggerations and false claims are unacceptable, even when they align with our cherished beliefs. If we fail to hold our leaders accountable to truthfulness and integrity—while rejecting false testimonies and revisionist histories—we risk undermining the credibility of all truth claims central to the historic Christian faith. A reputation for poor discernment and blind endorsement weakens our witness to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Faith rooted in truth will always endure, while faith built on falsehoods will ultimately crumble.
LONG-LASTING IMPACT
Welchel claims to have received the anointing of the Azusa Street saints, granting him the power to witness thousands of miracles in his ministry, including the raising of the dead.[57] He also asserts that during a prayer session at William Seymour’s grave in Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles, he received Seymour’s anointing.[58] Before his death, part of Welchel’s ministry was dedicated to imparting this “Azusa anointing” to local church congregations, ensuring they wouldn’t miss participating in the fulfillment of the so-called 100-year prophecy.
Welchel’s stories, and the expectations they create, are increasingly becoming the benchmark for what is perceived as the prophesied “end-time revival.” This is problematic when the standard for Spirit-filled living is based on stories that are, at best, implausible and, at worst, demonstrably false. The historically verifiable and contemporary accounts from Azusa Street pale in comparison to the fantastical anecdotes of Welchel’s version of Azusa. If Pentecostal and Charismatic believers are conditioned to expect extraordinary miracles—such as raising the dead—as normative, they risk losing the deep joy and meaning found in the day-to-day faithfulness of a consecrated Christian life.
Historical myth has its place. Homer’s Trojan War is rooted in history, but the tales of Agamemnon, Achilles, and Hector are largely fictional. However, no Greeks were pressured to model their lives after the feats of Odysseus or build their worldview on these legends; whereas, entire ministry schools are reading Welchel’s books with the expectation that they will see the same results in their ministry – and if they do not, they are out of alignment with the moving of the Spirit for their generation.
Similarly, as Parson Weems’ embellished stories of George Washington shaped American imagination and became an accepted portrait of its first president, it remains to be seen whether Welchel’s writings will achieve comparable influence. Pentecostal historians have always acknowledged the miraculous stories accompanying the Azusa Street revival as an integral part of the Pentecostal experience. However, the pressing question is whether the dubious and exaggerated claims of Welchel will overshadow the genuine stories of ordinary men and women transformed by the Spirit, who carried the Pentecostal message into towns, cities, and nations, sparking a global movement.
Rather than embellishing the past, we must build upon our authentic history so that future generations can confidently tell the stories of our time. Let us trust in God’s works as they unfold today, ensuring that the faith of tomorrow rests on truth rather than myth.
[1] Mason Locke Weems, The life of George Washington : with curious anecdotes, equally honourable to himself and exemplary to his young countrymen. (Philadelphia, PA.; the author, 1808).
[2] Tommy Welchel, and Michelle P. Griffith, True Stories of the Miracles of Azusa Street and Beyond. (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2013), 25.
[3] Ibid., 28.
[4] Ibid., 20.
[5] Ibid., 32.
[6] Jean Darnall (1922-2019) was a pastor and evangelist renowned for her prophetic prayer ministry. She was ordained by the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel.
[7] Tommy Welchel, J. Edward Morris, and Cindy McCowan, Azusa Street: They Told Me Their Storie, (Mustang, OK: Dare2Dream Books, 2006), 4.
[8] The process of transcribing the spoken messages explain some of the changes in names from the first book, Azusa Street: They Told Me Their Stories to the second, True Stories of the Miracles of Azusa Street and Beyond. As Welchel spoke, transcribers were often writing stories of those with whom they were unfamiliar. The editors of the second book corrected some of these mistakes, correcting Jack Cole to Jack Coe and Thomas White to Thomas Wyatt. The incorrect use of C. W. Ward for C. M. Ward continues in all Welchel’s writings, those he does correct it in some live audio recordings.
[9] Ibid., x.
[10] Ibid., vii.
[11] Julia Carney is listed as the wife of James Carney,” an incompetent man,” in the Highland Park News-Herald (April 5, 1954, p. 7).
[12] Alice Riggs (1870-1964) lived at Pisgah during the 1960s when her son, Ralph Riggs, was teaching at Bethany Bible College. This was confirmed by her great-grandson, Dr. Grant Wacker, in an email dated 2/15/2024.
[13] According to his obituary in the August 13, 1964, Highland Park News-Herald, Charles W. Sines was a Christian worker at the Old Pisgah Tabernacle. He came to the area in 1924, 15 years after the end of the revival.
[14] Ralph Oliver Lankford (1889-1977) is listed among those who have been “called home” in the Mar-Apr & May-Jun, 1977 issue of the Herald of Hope, the official publication of Pisgah.
[15] “Mother” Etta Mangrum (1876-1969) is listed among those who have been “called to their eternal reward” in the January-February, 1970 issue of Herald of Hope.
[16] Frank Cantrell, according to the May-June, 1974 issue of Herald of Hope who “in the years past ministered with us at ‘Old Pisgah,’” was “suddenly called home to be with the Lord after he had finished giving a word of admonition in a recent Sunday morning service.”
[17] The death of Goldie Stephens, one of the “older Herald of Hope workers” is reported in the March-April 1975 issue of Herald of Hope.
[18] Tom Anderson appears in the Azusa newsletter and will be considered later in this section.
[19] “Pentecost Among the Young People,” Apostolic Faith (Los Angeles, CA), January 1908, 1.
[20] Full Gospel Men’s Voice, September 1956, 12.
[21] For example, Sister Carney claims that “God blessed her by using her two to three times a day the three to four days she attended each week. That’s six to eight miracles a week for over three-and-a-half years. Do the math!” (Welchel and Griffith 2013, 43). Taking up Welchel’s challenge, I did the math. That comes to more than 1092 miracles personally performed by Sister Carney. Unfortunately, Julia Carney’s miraculous stories do not appear anywhere in the contemporary historical records of the Apostolic Faith Mission. All of the miraculous stories in Welchel’s books are anecdotal and relayed to him 45-50 years after the events, and then not shared by him for another 40 years.
[22] Interestingly, Pisgah’s own paper, Herald of Hope, did publish an account of Azusa Street entitled, “I Was There” in the September-October, 1966 issue. This account was written by a known Azusa participant, Arthur Osterberg, and includes the editors’ remarks: “Probably no one living can speak more authoritatively on its [Azusa’s] history than Brother Osterberg, because he was there.” It seems odd that Welchel claims that many of the paper’s own workers were present at the revival, yet the paper never printed or alluded to their involvement.
[23] I have chosen not to delve into Welchel’s personal testimony of salvation and stated personal interactions with historical figures, such as William Branham, A. A. Allen, Jack Coe, Oral Roberts, Kathryn Kuhlman, Dennis Bennett, Kenneth Hagin, Demos Shakarian, Tommy Hicks, and David du Plessis. Not enough information is given to ascertain the time and places of stated interactions, so we are left to trust his credibility. This paper is focused solely on the stories connected to the Azusa Street revival and the Apostolic Faith Mission, as documented in Welchel’s books. Claims made in his video teachings are also not included.
[24] Tommy Welchel, and Michelle P. Griffith, True Stories of the Miracles of Azusa Street and Beyond. (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2013), 41.
[25] Ibid., 45.
[26] Tommy Welchel, J. Edward Morris, and Cindy McCowan. Azusa Street: They Told Me Their Stories. (Mustang, OK: Dare2Dream Books, 2006), 36.
[27] Frank Bartleman, Azusa Street: The Roots of Modern-day Pentecost, (Gainesville, FL: Bridge-Logos, 1980), 65.
[28] Tommy Welchel, and Michelle P. Griffith, True Stories of the Miracles of Azusa Street and Beyond, (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2013), 44.
[29] Ibid., 44.
[30] Tommy Welchel, and Michelle P. Griffith, True Stories of the Miracles of Azusa Street and Beyond, (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2013), 56.
[31] Tommy Welchel, and Michelle P. Griffith, True Stories of the Miracles of Azusa Street and Beyond, (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2013), 73.
[32] Interestingly, Welchel never mentions that one of the early leaders of the Assemblies of God was actually at the Azusa Street meetings. E. S Williams, general superintendent from 1929-1949, was living in Colorado when he received letters from his mother telling him about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Los Angeles. In September of 1906, Williams and a friend traveled to Los Angeles to observe for themselves what was happening. Glenn Gohr, “E. S. Williams: The Azusa Street Veteran Who Led the Assemblies of God for 20 Years,” AG-NEWS, June 9, 2017.
[33] Tommy Welchel, and Michelle P. Griffith, True Stories of the Miracles of Azusa Street and Beyond, (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2013), 68.
[34] Tommy Welchel, and Michelle P. Griffith, True Stories of the Miracles of Azusa Street and Beyond, (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2013), 84.
[35] Ibid., 85.
[36] Phone conversation with Miss Roberta Tuthill, long-time assistant to Thomas and Evelyn Wyatt and editor of the Wings of Healing periodical, 2/10/2024. Interestingly, Roberta is the daughter of Henry Tuthill, who attended Charles’ Parham’s Houston Bible School and helped in his ministry in Texas, Kansas, and Missouri. At 100 years of age, Miss Tuthill is full of information and loves to tell the stories of the early days of Pentecost. If Wyatt had been at Azusa she would have had first hand knowledge of it. She categorically denies his involvement and refutes the idea that he was a medical doctor.
[37] Tommy Welchel, and Michelle P. Griffith, True Stories of the Miracles of Azusa Street and Beyond, (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2013), 96.
[38] Tommy Welchel, and Michelle P. Griffith. 2013. True Stories of the Miracles of Azusa Street and Beyond. (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2013), 132.
[39] Tommy Welchel, J. Edward Morris, and Cindy McCowan. Azusa Street: They Told Me Their Stories. (Mustang, OK: Dare2Dream Books, 2006), 22.
[40] Ibid., 23.
[41] Tommy Welchel, and Michelle P. Griffith, True Stories of the Miracles of Azusa Street and Beyond, (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2013), 135.
[42] Ibid., 48.
[43] Tommy Welchel, and Jody Keck. The River of Zion: True Stories of Revival from Azusa to Israel to Today. (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2022), 128.
[44] Tommy Welchel, and Michelle P. Griffith, True Stories of the Miracles of Azusa Street and Beyond., (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2013), 80.
[45] Ibid., 73.
[46] Tommy Welchel, J. Edward Morris, and Cindy McCowan, Azusa Street: They Told Me Their Stories, (Mustang, OK: Dare2Dream Publishers, Inc., 2008), 129.
[47] Larry Martin. Charles Fox Parham. (New Kingsington, PA: Whitaker House, 2022), 141.
[48] Tommy Welchel, J. Edward Morris, and Cindy McCowan, Azusa Street: They Told Me Their Stories, (Mustang, OK: Dare2Dream Publishers, Inc., 2008), vii.
[49] Tommy Welchel, and Michelle P. Griffith, True Stories of the Miracles of Azusa Street and Beyond, (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2013), endorsements.
[50] Ibid., 152.
[51] Ibid., 153.
[52] Ibid., 153.
[53] Tommy Welchel, and Jody Keck, The River of Zion: True Stories of Revival from Azusa to Israel to Today. (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2022), 190.
[54] Ibid., 154
[55] These numbers come from Amazon.com’s book stats, as of 3/1/2024.
[56] https://www.amazon.com/Stories-Miracles-Azusa-Street-Beyond/dp/0768403510/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=gicd6&content-id=amzn1.sym.d0ebfbb2-6761-494f-8e2f-95743b37c35c%3Aamzn1.symc.50e00d6c-ec8b-42ef-bb15-298531ab4497&pf_rd_p=d0ebfbb2-6761-494f-8e2f-95743b37c35c&pf_rd_r=KAA0AYPCRYXM13RHGFY6&pd_rd_wg=TdXsN&pd_rd_r=1dad497c-3ab0-4235-8d5c-4db740073dca&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m#customerReviews, accessed 3/1/2024.
[56] Tommy Welchel, J. Edward Morris, and Cindy McCowan, Azusa Street: They Told Me Their Stories, (Mustang, OK: Dare2Dream Publishers, Inc., 2008), vii.
[57] Tommy Welchel, and Michelle P. Griffith, True Stories of the Miracles of Azusa Street and Beyond, (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2013), 143.
[58] [58] Ibid., 159.
Ruthie Oberg 