Alfred Goodrich Garr
Alfred Gaelton Garr (July 27, 1875 – July 23, 1944) was an early leader in the
Early life
Garr was born in Danville, Kentucky, on July 27, 1875, the youngest child in his family by 12 years. He was
While in Kentucky for business, Garr met a preacher from the
Garr later enrolled in
Career
Through Knapp, the Garrs met leaders of the Burning Bush movement and moved to Chicago to join it. During his time with the movement, Garr was exposed to the use of technology to spread ministry and the use of free healings, which would later affect his ability to spread the
In 1904, the Garrs moved to Danville, Virginia, to lead a new congregation for 18 months. By February 1906, the Garrs moved to Los Angeles by request of the Burning Bush leaders. Garr was named the west coast director of the movement, and his first decision was to get a 1,000-seat facility, an upgrade from the smaller venue the movement had been using. He gradually became disenchanted with the movement, however, and decided to begin visiting the
Garr himself was baptized in the Holy Spirit on June 16, 1906, in the bell tower of the Burning Bush facility. He went on to shut down that church and combine it with the Azusa Street Mission. He brought hundreds of new attendees to Azusa, helping the previously struggling ministry grow. Three weeks after Garr's experience, he said God called on him to take Pentecostalism to India and China. In congruence with this, Garr was taken off of the editor list for the Burning Bush magazine and was denounced by other leaders of the Burning Bush movement.
Before they arrived in India and China, however, the Garrs stopped in Danville to spread the Pentecostal message to their former congregations. Gifts of the Holy Spirit were given to many in the congregation.[1] They then went on to India and arrived in Calcutta, where Garr began preaching on January 13, 1907. He ministered there for three months, believing that God had given him the gift of the Bengali language because one of the attendees at Azusa Street reported recognizing the languages he spoke in tongues as 'languages of India' and Garr heard himself say 'Bengali' before moving to Bombay.[2] By October 8, 1907, the Garrs were in Hong Kong. Garr preached about repentance and restitution, and many in the meetings had convictions of sin.[1]
In the spring of 1908, the Garrs were back in Los Angeles, after the Lord spoke to them about the Pentecostal movement struggling in the states. They decided to travel the states for 16 months to spread the gospel and message of Pentecostalism. During this time, Garr met with Joseph H. King, who went on to become the leader of the
Later life and legacy
In the fall of 1909, the Garrs returned to Hong Kong. Garr then decided to open a missionary home, and shift his focus from pastoring churches to planting them. On April 9, 1911, the Garrs had a son, Alfred Gaeleton Garr Jr. By 1914, the Garrs were back in Los Angeles. Garr rented out a large building for a new congregation he named The Garage. By this time he also decided to live by the
Lillian died on April 12, 1916, and Garr went on to marry Hannah Erickson on July 26, 1918. They moved to Los Angeles in 1919. In September 1922, Garr partnered with Hannah's father, R.L. Erickson, to evangelize in open-air meetings that included healing services and prayers for the sick. There were several healings and the number of attendees swelled. After this success, Garr went on to travel for the next five years, evangelizing and planting more churches in his wake.[1]
In April 1930, Garr and his family arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina. He held meetings in a tent in a vacant lot and they gradually grew in size after a dramatic healing that caught the attention of local media. Garr then built a wooden tabernacle to increase the size of the crowd that could attend a meeting. The tabernacle was soon bested by the Garr Auditorium, which opened on June 18, 1933. Garr continued to train hundreds of missionaries and ministers until he died on July 23, 1944.[1]
References
- ^ ISBN 1-929371-38-1.
- ^ McGee, G.B. "Garr, Alfred Goodrich, Sr." Edited by Stanley M Burgess and Ed M Van der Maas. The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan Pub. House, 2002.