In an opinion column in the Los Angeles Times today, Cori Tucker-Price, assistant professor of religion at UC Santa Barbara, builds a case for the fact that the Azusa Street revival of 1906 in Los Angeles set off not only a spiritual renewal and the “cradle of the worldwide Pentecostal movement,” but it set a precedent for democracy as well.

It began with William J. Seymour, a one-eyed black preacher preaching to a multiracial crowd of Black, white, Asian and Latino worshipers that “defied the logic of segregation.” Seymour, newly freed son of slaves in the South had moved west to escape the backlash segregation of the Jim Crow era, and for the first time was able to experience the freedom of a real democracy.

“What made Azusa powerful,” writes Ms. Tucker-Price, “was the insistence that spiritual authority did not follow the logics of race, gender or class. Dignity and power could be shared, not hoarded.”

The gist of this article, titled “The Azusa Street revival remade democracy. It’s lessons still apply,” is that the results of this revival was an expression of unity that captured more of the real ideals of democracy than the nation knew then, and, sadly, that the nation knows now, for that matter.

We have been championing our own message since the Catch Ministry was formed in 2012 — how the gospel of welcome — grace turned outward — to everybody, everywhere, is the exact message needed in this polarized, hostile environment that we live in, not only here in America, but around the world. It’s as if a spirit of antagonism and spitefulness has been loosed on the world and as in 1906, it’s going to take a spiritual revival to show us again how to live together in peace, harmony and unity. Indeed, we are that revival. We are renewing the same spirit.

We are here for this moment. We are Catalysts of Grace. Join us in this timely purpose. Become a MemberPartner today — part of an army of love — that will equip you with what you need to answer this important call today. It happens through us — one person at a time.

You are not here by accident. If you’ve found your way to the Catch Ministry, it’s because you resonate with something deeper — something alive. You’ve read the daily Catch, felt the urgency in our words, prayed with us, and then shared grace with someone who needed it. That makes you part of the movement already.

But some go further. They don’t just walk alongside us — they help carry the vision forward. We call them MemberPartners — Catalysts of Grace. They are exactly what is needed in the world. As a MemberPartner we will help you discover what it means to be a Catalyst of Grace — a vital presence in a global movement that stretches from your inbox to the ends of the earth.

We are praying for 40 new MemberPartners in the next two weeks to add to our army. If you are not a MemberPartner yet, we encourage you to sign up below. Join the revival of 2025. Today. Don’t wait. The world needs a movement of grace — alive, visible, and impossible to ignore. Make that you!

To sign up as a MemberPartner, click HERE, enter the amount of your monthly contribution ($20 or more) and be sure and click on “Monthly.”