Lucy Farrow—A Trailblazer in the Pentecostal Movement

As we celebrate Black History Month, it’s vital to honor the pioneering individuals whose contributions have shaped history. One such figure is Lucy Farrow, an African American woman whose work in the early Pentecostal movement helped transform Christianity, especially in the United States. While her name may not be as widely recognized as some of her contemporaries, her influence remains undeniable.

EARLY LIFE
Born in 1847 in Virginia, Lucy Farrow was described as a “mulatto” and, as a child, was sold into slavery. She was likely the daughter of an enslaved mother and a white father, with many records suggesting she was a niece of Frederick Douglass—her mother being Douglass’ sister. By 1871, she had married and moved to Mississippi. Tragically, her husband and five of her children passed away before 1900, prompting her to relocate to Houston, Texas, with her remaining son. Like many African Americans of her time, Farrow sought solace and community in the Christian faith. Her evident leadership abilities were soon put to use within the burgeoning Holiness movement. 

PENTECOSTAL INVOLVEMENT
In 1905, Farrow was pastoring a small Holiness church in Houston when she was hired by Charles Parham to serve as a governess for his children during a summer trip to Kansas. In her absence, she asked fellow Holiness preacher William J. Seymour to fill her pulpit. During this time, Farrow became the first reported African American to experience the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Upon her return, Seymour was deeply moved when he heard her speaking in tongues and asked about this remarkable experience.

Farrow introduced Seymour to Parham, who then enrolled him in his Bible school, and plans were made to have Seymour lead the Pentecostal work among the Black community in Houston. Farrow continued her role in Parham and Seymour’s meetings, working at the altar and as a cook at the Bible school, all while pastoring her church.

ROLE IN THE AZUSA STREET REVIVAL
When Neely Terry, from Los Angeles, visited Houston, she heard Seymour preach at Farrow’s church. Upon returning to California, Terry encouraged her pastor, Julia Hutchins, to invite Seymour to take over her pulpit while she went on a missionary trip to Liberia. Despite Parham’s plans for Seymour in Houston, Seymour agreed to assist Hutchins’ church in Los Angeles. Although Seymour had not yet experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit as Parham taught it, he believed in its biblical basis and began preaching it.

Knowing of Farrow’s leadership and spiritual gifts, Seymour sent her money to cover her travel expenses to California. She arrived in early April 1906, and as she and Seymour laid hands on participants at prayer meetings at 214 North Bonnie Brae Street, many, including Seymour, began to speak in tongues. This sparked the beginning of what would become the Azusa Street Revival, lasting from 1906 to 1909.

PENTECOSTAL EVANGELIST AND MISSIONARY
Though Farrow was described as “one of the most helpful of the workers” during the Azusa Revival, she soon felt a call to return to Norfolk, Virginia—her childhood home, which she had left as a slave. On her way, she passed through Houston, where she preached at a camp meeting. Long lines formed as people sought prayer, and everyone Farrow prayed for began speaking in tongues. Among those was Howard Goss, who, after receiving prayer from Farrow, was able to speak in tongues “any time [he] yielded to the Spirit of God.” Goss, along with E.N. Bell and others, later hosted a conference in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 1914, which led to the formation of the Assemblies of God.

Arriving in Virginia in the fall of 1906, Farrow held a series of meetings in Portsmouth, where around 200 were saved, and at least 150 received the “baptism in the Holy Ghost.” While ministering in Virginia, Farrow felt called to go to Monrovia, Liberia, a city governed by repatriated American slaves. She wrote to Seymour at Azusa, requesting a replacement for her work in Virginia, and proceeded to join others being sent to Liberia, with the mission largely funded by offerings from the Azusa meetings.

Farrow spent nearly nine months in Liberia, leading many to faith and personally guiding at least 20 individuals to their own Pentecostal experience. After returning to the U.S. in late 1907, she held services in North Carolina before returning to Los Angeles in 1908 to assist Seymour, living and ministering from “the little faith cottage back of the mission” on Azusa Street. Later she returned to Houston to live with her son, dying in 1911, at the age of 64.

LEGACY AND IMPACT
As a skilled preacher and deeply spiritual woman, Farrow’s work played a vital role in the spiritual awakening that would revolutionize Christianity in the years that followed. At a time when Black people—particularly Black women—were systematically excluded from many social, political, and economic opportunities, spiritual leadership often became an empowering avenue for women like Lucy Farrow.

The Azusa Street Revival was one of the first major events in American history to feature a racially integrated congregation, with both African American and white worshippers coming together to experience the Holy Spirit’s power. Farrow’s leadership and contributions were crucial in this context, and her legacy lives on in the millions of Pentecostal believers worldwide who trace their spiritual roots to the revival and the transformative work of leaders like her.

IMAGE: Home where Charles Parham conducted a Bible School at Houston, Texas in 1906.

Ruthie Edgerly Oberg

Ruthie Edgerly Oberg is an ordained Assemblies of God minister and fourth generation Pentecostal. She served in senior and associate pastoral roles for 25 years. Oberg speaks at national conferences and local churches.