Another great leader and revivalist to come out from the Azusa Street Revival was Ivey Glenshaw Campbell. Campbell had grown up in Ohio in a strict Presbyterian home. In 1901 she had a spiritual experience in which she claimed that she had been sanctified by God’s grace. Her experience conflicted with the Calvinistic teachings of her church and she was ostracized and made to leave. She then joined with Holiness associations and helped begin the Broadway Mission, where she was a leader. At age thirty-two she came to Los Angeles and began attending the meetings at Eighth and Maple Streets and Azusa Street. At Azusa she was baptized in the Spirit in the summer of 1906. In November she traveled to Ohio to share about her experience with her friends and family there. She also returned to the Broadway Mission to testify. Little did she know that this was the beginning of a mighty move of God.

Campbell was invited to speak at the Broadway Mission and soon was speaking at another place called the South Street Mission. Campbell would plainly speak about her experiences at Azusa and then would tell the people about their need for salvation, sanctification and the baptism in the Holy Spirit. She would speak in tongues and then give the interpretation of those tongues. In these meetings a revival broke out and crowds started coming, with people from neighboring towns journeying over to the Mission. Within one month, forty people had experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit and were speaking in tongues.

Campbell held meetings in Akron, Ohio, and the newspapers reported her meetings to be like “old-fashioned camp meetings” in which attendees entered “ a cataleptic state for hours.” This was a reference to those who were slain under the power of God and laid out in a trance-like state. Many slanderous remarks were printed in the newspaper concerning the meetings, and Campbell personally, but these seemed only to arouse people’s curiosity more and crowds of people continued to come out. The following report was given of the Akron meetings: Since I … heard of the wonderful way God was working in Los Angeles, my heart got hungry, and the dear saints in Akron kept up a steady cry to God day and night for Him to send it this way. And before we hardly knew it, Akron was visited. Glory to God! He sent dear Iv[e]y Campbell here in answer to prayer, and many have received their Pentecost. The altar is more than filled nearly every service. In fact there is hardly a break in the meeting. Some people bring lunches and don’t stop to eat them. Some of the sisters sing in tongues like voices from heaven and also interpret some. O, it is wonderful! Many demons have been cast out and the sick are being healed. Glory to Jesus! He is also selecting His missionaries. The meeting runs day and night – sometimes all night. People come from miles around here and are receiving their personal Pentecost. Bro. McKinney is sending out invitations far and near, and telling how God is visiting Akron, and it brings in the hungry ones. His church doors were opened wide to welcome dear Sister Iv[e]y Campbell and Hudson from East Liverpool. The meetings have been running over three weeks. The Holy Ghost is the only leader. Praise God! While some of the prominent ministers are opposing it, yet their hungry members jump over the fence and get to the little mission church and get saved, sanctified, and then receive their personal Pentecost.1

The revival meetings flourished and, in June of 1907, a large Pentecostal camp meeting was held in Alliance, Ohio, and Pentecostal ministers such as Frank Bartleman, H. W. Allen, Ivey Campbell and others, all ministered. God was moving in a mighty way. By day two of this camp meeting, seven hundred came out and together represented twenty-four states. Others came from Canada, China, Egypt, South Africa, England, South America, the West Indies and Australia. As well as there being great support for the camp meeting, there was also great opposition and even persecution. Dissenters came into the crowds and even burned people by spraying acid on them.

Campbell preached and ministered in revivals throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania. She returned to Los Angeles and died there in 1918 at the age of forty-four. Campbell left behind a legacy. She had experienced God personally in a life-changing way. She was filled with revival fire and she ministered to others out of the life and anointing that she received from the Lord.

Shawn Stevens

References:

Robeck, Cecil M. Jr. The Azusa Street Mission and Revival: The Birth of The Global Pentecostal Movement. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2006. pgs. 228-234. Alexander, Estrelda. The Women of Azusa Street. Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 2005. pgs. 14, 139 – 142, 149.