CHARLES MASON

A Called and Anointed Life: Early Years

Charles Harrison Mason, who later became the founder and organizer of the Church of God in Christ (the largest African-American denomination in the world), was born September 8, 1866, near Memphis, Tennessee. His parents were converted during the dark days of American slavery, and he was converted in November 1878 and baptized by his brother, I.S. Nelson, a Baptist preacher.

A Minister Emerges
Fifteen years later, in 1893, Mason began to minister after accepting ministerial licenses from the Mt. Gale Missionary Baptist Church in Preston, Arkansas. In the year 1893, Mason also became a student at Arkansas Baptist College on November 1, which was a short-lived experience-he stayed only three months and left after becoming dissatisfied with the methods of teaching and the presentation of the Bible message.

A Powerful Ministry Unfolds
He then returned to preaching and accepted every invitation afforded him. While in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1896, Mason conducted a revival, which had enormous affects on the city. The spiritual manifestations of this revival, including the large numbers who were converted, sanctified, and healed by the power of faith, and the powerful teachings of Mason on the doctrine of sanctification, caused church doors within the Baptist association to close to him and to all those who believed and supported his teachings.

A New Direction
As previously noted, everywhere the Pentecostal fire broke out there were those who became detractors and agitators standing against God’s move of the Spirit. At one point, Mason established a church in a gin house, the first meetinghouse for the church that would become the largest African American denomination in the world. In 1897, while seeking a spiritual name that would distinguish this church from others of the similar title, Bishop Mason received a revelation-the church would be called “Church of God in Christ.”

A Turning Point
A turning point in Mason’s life came in March 1907 when he journeyed to Los Angeles, California, to attend the great Pentecostal revival that everybody was talking about-the Azusa Revival. As he entered the little mission on Azusa Street, he heard Brother Seymour preaching from Luke 24:49, “And behold I send the promise of My Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high.” Mason became convinced that it was essential for him to have the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Tale Tuesday 050

Date:   25th July 2023
Title:  CHARLES MASON
Source: The Azusa Street Revival
Author: Roberts Liardon