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ROBECK TO DISCUSS EARLY PENTECOSTAL REVIVAL IN L.A.

LOS ANGELES "Pentecostalism, the second-largest segment of Christianity after Roman Catholicism, originated in what is today the Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles. The focal point of the early Pentecostal church was the Azusa Street Revival, which began in 1906 when African American preacher William Seymour and his followers experienced a spiritual outpouring that led to one of the largest religious movements in history.

On Saturday, January 18 at 1 p.m., the Japanese American National Museum and the Azusa Street Memorial Committee is sponsoring Little Tokyo: Spiritual Doors to the World, a panel discussion on the nature of the local community when the Pentecostal movement started in 1906, and how the church grew and impacted the neighborhood, the city, and eventually the entire world. The Azusa Street Memorial Committee is composed of representatives from the Little Tokyo Service Center, the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, the Japanese American National Museum, Pentecostal Heritage, Inc., Joshua Ministries, Inc., and various community churches.

A distinguished and internationally known panel of writers and theologians will address the theme. Fuller Professor Dr. Mel Robeck, considered by many to be the world's foremost authority on the Azusa Street Revival and the history of Pentecostalism, is featured in the program. The Azusa Street Revival, from 1906 to 1931, began at the Faith Mission at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles, a site now replaced by a grapefruit tree memorial and historic marker of the revival. The revival had long-term effects on existing organizations and on new ones that developed later, which adopted the new Pentecostal theology after their leaders were influenced by the events in Los Angeles. The Pentecostal missionary expansion, resulting directly from the Azusa Street Revival, depicted an increase in mission activities of worldwide significance.

Other panelists include Dr. Paul Shew, author of the upcoming book Pentecostalism in Japan, 1907-1945 and Dr. Anthea Butler, professor of religion at Loyola Marymount University and noted African-American chronicler of the Pentecostal movement.

Teresa Watanabe, a reporter with the Los Angeles Times' California section, covering religion and spirituality, will moderate the panel discussion. From 1991 to 1997, Watanabe was the Times' Tokyo bureau chief and correspondent covering a wide range of issues relating to Japanese culture, politics, and economy. She has received a number of awards, including Supple Religion Writer of the Year by the Religion Newswriters Association in 2001 and an Asian American Journalist Association Award in 1996. Watanabe graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism and East Asian language and culture in 1980.

Little Tokyo: Spiritual Doors to the World is free for Japanese American National Museum members and children 5 and under. General admission is $6, $5 for seniors, and $3 for students. It will be held at the Japanese American National Museum, located at 369 East First Street in the Little Tokyo Historic District of downtown Los Angeles. For more information, please call 213-625-0414.