March 19, 1907 - Charles Harrison Mason and the Rise of COGIC

 Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ), Memphis, Tennessee, photograph licensed CC BY-SA, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) traces its origins to Lexington, Mississippi, in 1897. However, its rapid expansion came after a pivotal moment in 1907. On March 19 of that year, founder Charles Harrison Mason attended the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, where he reported experiencing the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The Azusa revival, led by William J. Seymour, became a defining event in the early Pentecostal movement. Mason’s experience there convinced him that speaking in tongues was evidence of Spirit baptism, a belief that would shape COGIC’s theology and identity.

Upon returning to Mississippi, Mason’s embrace of Pentecostal doctrine led to division within his original Holiness fellowship. Eventually, Mason retained leadership of the Church of God in Christ, which developed into one of the largest Pentecostal denominations in the United States.

COGIC’s growth reflected the broader spread of Pentecostalism in the early twentieth century, especially within African American communities. The events surrounding March 19, 1907, illustrate how revival movements can rapidly transform denominational structures and expand global Christian expressions.