Emma Cotton
Emma Cotton (1877 – December 27, 1952) was an evangelist and preacher born of
Life in Pentecostalism
Azusa Street Revival
Cotton was inspired by "the great awakening of the Spirit."
Azusa Temple
By 1920, Cotton had stepped down from her role as Church Mother to become a full-time pastor for her own church, the Azusa Temple, in Los Angeles. Together, Emma and Henry co-pastored the church through the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) but remained independent as a church due to COGIC's decision to not ordain women. Today, the church is known as Crouch Memorial Church, named after one of Cotton's proteges, Samuel Crouch.[2] To this day the church is an active congregation affiliated with COGIC.[3]
Friendship with Aimee Semple McPherson
During the 1930s, Cotton become close friends with Aimee Semple McPherson while holding many Pentecostal church services together. McPherson was frequently known to only allow a small number of women to preach at her church, the Angelus Temple.[2] In 1936, Mother Cotton asked McPherson to host a 30th anniversary party to commemorate the Azusa Street beginnings. It was described in fliers as "a great getting together that we might be renewed in the old-time Spirit and power."[2] Cotton was asked to speak at the gathering in order to address the crowds at the Angelus Temple. It was there that she encouraged the temple towards unity and warned against sectarian interests that were starting to rise.[1] This gathering was considered a great success and eventually turned into a six-month event in which Cotton and her husband preached to their followers.[2]
Legacy
By April 1939, Cotton had edited and published a paper called "The Inside Story of the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit - Azusa Street - April 1906." Its only appearance was in a volume of Message of the Apostolic Faith, a newsletter written by Cotton that was meant to be the beginning of a regular series.
Cotton is also credited with songwriting credits including a gospel favorite, "John Saw That Number." Some historians also credit her with authorship of the famous, "When the Saints Go Marching In," although that has never been fully corroborated.[2]
Cotton's bout of cancer returned in 1950 after nearly half a century of reprieve. She died on December 27, 1952, followed by Henry in 1959. They are both buried in Lincoln Memorial Park in Compton, California.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Burgess, Stanley (2002). The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House.
- ^ ISBN 1938373006.
- ^ a b Butler, Anthea D. (2007). Women in the Church of God in Christ: Making a Sanctified World. Chapel Hill: U of North Carolina.