William Seymour

Black History in L.A.’s Faith Community

Historical roots run deep throughout the faith community in Los Angeles. As the following listing will reveal, many churches and ministries have made significant contributions since 44 multi-cultural settlers founded the city in 1781. William Seymour  Many scholars trace the beginning of the modern Pentecostal Movement to 216 North Bonnie Brae Street in Los Angeles. In this private home, William J. Seymour, an African American preacher, held a worship service on April 9, 1906 where several miraculous spiritual experiences were reported. Many of the multi-racial, ecumenical participants spoke in tongues or languages they hadn’t learned and one person played fluently