Florence Crawford in Portland
On December 25, 1906, Sister Crawford arrived in Portland, the city that would become her home and the base for the Apostolic Faith Mission in the Northwest. She did not waste any time. A few days later, she writes this testimony in the fifth issue of the paper: “The power fell before the meeting was half through, and two received Pentecost at night, two more. Last night, Mildred received her Pentecost. The slain of the Lord lay so you can’t move about the altar. The altar is full before the meeting is half over. The house is just packed. Oh, if we only had a larger hall. I can not tell how God is working here.”
Ministry in Portland
In a letter dated a week later, she again told how the crowds were crowding into the hall. Every chair was filled, the aisles packed, the doorway jammed, and crowds stood out in the street. When an invitation to prayer was given, there were so many who wanted to pray that it was difficult to find room at the altar or elsewhere. On January 8, her initial trip concluded, and Sister Crawford returned to Los Angeles. However, by the following April, she was on her way back to Portland.
Establishing Apostolic Faith Church
The pastor of the group, which met in the old converted blacksmith shop, had contacted the owners of property at 12th and Division Street in Portland, wanting to make arrangements to hold a camp meeting there. The owners were initially reluctant, saying that the “tongues of fire” might set the woods ablaze, but they finally consented to let them use the location. After the camp meeting, the Portland congregation moved to a hall on Southwest First and Madison, for they were greatly in need of a larger place of worship. As the Lord continued to bless, the pastor offered to turn his church over to Florence Crawford. It would be her church-the Apostolic Faith Church of Portland, Oregon.
God’s Plan for Portland
During a Gospel outreach trip to Minneapolis, God spoke to her, saying, “If you go back to Portland, Oregon, and stay there, I will make that place the headquarters of the Apostolic Faith work, and I will raise up the standard of the Gospel in that city.” God’s plan was unmistakable, and in 1908, Florence Crawford gave up her home in Los Angeles and moved to Portland.
The Apostolic Faith Newspaper
According to Crawford, the Azusa Street ministry, turned over the responsibility of publishing The Apostolic Faith newspaper to her, so she and her coworker, Clara Lum, moved to Portland, bringing with them the coveted mailing list for The Apostolic Faith newspaper. Because Seymour no longer had a copy of his mailing list, which was also his list of supporters from all over the United States and the world, and especially those in the Midwest, he was no longer able to publish the newspaper.
Controversy Over Mailing List
There are those who say that it was stolen by Crawford and Lum. However, the Portland Apostolic Faith Mission has replied to this accusation by saying that Crawford and Lum took only two lists, leaving twenty other copies of the list with Seymour. Douglas Nelson writes in his book, For Such A Time As This: “The Story of Bishop William J. Seymour and the Azusa Revival13, that Clara Lum stole the international mailing lists and fled to Portland, Oregon. There, she joined Florence Crawford in ministry. Many others hold to this position of Nelson’s and see this as the beginning of the end of the revival in Los Angeles.
Defense from Portland Apostolic Faith Mission
In response to Nelson’s position, they have responded with the following defense: Evidence of the fact that she brought the publishing work to Portland, with the blessing of the Azusa Street ministry, is the fact that the first edition of the 13th issue of The Apostolic Faith paper which was published in Los Angeles in May 1908, (after Florence Crawford moved to Portland) contained this note: ” ‘For the next issue of this paper address The Apostolic Faith Campmeeting, Portland, Oregon.’ It also refers to Florence Crawford as ‘Sister Crawford’ and mentions her activities in Portland. At that juncture, publishing of the paper was transferred to Florence Crawford’s headquarters in Portland. It is our understanding that only two of the twenty-two complete mailing lists were brought to Portland. She continued the publishing of The Apostolic Faith paper without interruption, the first edition from Portland coming out in July-August, 1908.
Tale Tuesday 042
Date: 30th May 2023
Title: Women of Azusa: FLORENCE CRAWFORD Part 2
Source: The Azusa Street Revival
Author: Roberts Liardon
Previous post
Next post
