Dr. Louis F. Morgan
Lee University’s Dr. Louis F. Morgan will speak at the 12th Annual Azusa Lecture on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. in the North Cleveland Church of God’s Dixon Chapel.
Dr. Morgan, director of library services at Lee, will speak on “Fanning the Flame: Reflections on a Century of Church of God Education.”
A faculty member at Lee since 2003, Dr. Morgan previously served as archivist at the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center (Church of God archives) and also as curatorial assistant at the Museum Center at Five Points in downtown Cleveland.
In addition to his responsibilities in Squires Library at Lee University, Dr. Morgan teaches graduate courses in leadership and serves as an academic advisor. He also serves on the Dean’s Council, Academic Council, and Master of Ministry Studies graduate committee.
He has been appointed to serve on the Church of God Historical Commission since 2012, and he is the immediate past president of the Historical Society of Church of God Movements. His academic presentations include papers on servant leadership, self-sacrificing leadership, and transformational leadership.
Among Dr. Morgan’s honors and awards are the Excellence in Advising Award from Lee University, the prestigious James E. Ward Library Instruction Award from the Tennessee Library Association, and inclusion in a list of international men and women as one of “40 Young Influencers in the Church of God.”
Dr. Morgan is an ordained minister and published author. He frequently speaks at local churches and is active in community service.
Following the lecture, the Dixon Research Center will present the Spirit of Azusa Award to Dr. Paul L. Walker. A reception will follow in the Bryant Fellowship Hall. Dr. Walker served as pastor of Mount Paran Church of God in Atlanta for almost four decades. The denomination elected him as general overseer in 1996, and he also served as the first chancellor of Church of God education.
“Dr. Walker has preached the gospel, been an exemplar of reconciliation in the body of Christ, and led with distinction,” said Dr. David G. Roebuck, director of the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center (DPRC). “In honoring him, we will especially call attention to his distinguished pastoral ministry at Mount Paran in Atlanta, to his openness to what God has done through the Charismatic movement, and to his service as the first chancellor of Church of God education.”
According to Dr. Roebuck, this is a particularly significant year to highlight these aspects of Dr. Walker’s ministry: Mount Paran celebrated their 100th anniversary, the Catholic charismatic movement is 50 years old, and Lee University’s centennial will begin in January.
The purpose of the Azusa Lecture is to celebrate the rich heritage of the Pentecostal Movement. The DPRC launched the annual lecture in 2006 on the occasion of the centennial of the revival at the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles. Church of God Historian Charles W. Conn noted that the Los Angeles revival, which lasted from 1906 to 1909, “is universally regarded as the beginning of the modern Pentecostal Movement.”
The Los Angeles revival began when African-American Pastor William J. Seymour preached a message of Spirit baptism following salvation and sanctification. What started as a home prayer meeting attracted throngs of seekers and was moved to an abandoned church building at 312 Azusa Street. Hundreds traveled to the Azusa Street Mission, received a personal baptism of the Holy Spirit, and took that message to their homes, churches, and communities. The Pentecostal Movement quickly became a great missionary movement, and the 20th century came to be called the “Century of the Holy Spirit.”
Founded by Dr. Charles W. Conn on the campus of Lee University, the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center is one of the world’s significant collections of Pentecostal materials as well as the archives of the Church of God. In addition to students at the university and the Pentecostal Theological Seminary, numerous scholars use the Center’s holdings related to the Pentecostal-Charismatic Movement. Dr. Roebuck serves as director.
This event is free, non-ticketed, and open to the public. For more information about the Azusa Lecture, contact the DPRC at 614-8576 or dixon_research@leeuniversity.edu.