NINE O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING

Reverend Dennis Bennett (1917-1991) was born in England on October 28, 1917, the son of a Congregational minister. In 1949, he was ordained into the Congregational church, but in 1952 became ordained as an Episcopal priest. He was "prominently identified with the charismatic renewal from the beginning.The movement is usually dated from the Sunday morning in 1959 when Bennett announced to his congregation in Van Nuys, California, that he had been baptized with the Holy Spirit and had spoken in tongues. As a result, a small opposition group in the congregation challenged him to cease and desist from what later came to be called charismatic experiences. He voluntarily resigned his pastorate, feeling that he did not have adequate understanding to defend his position. In 1960, he accepted an invitation to become vicar of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Seattle, Washington. Within six years the little mission church had become a strong parish. For a decade it was a major center from which word of baptism with the Holy Spirit would spread worldwide, especially in the mainline denominations. Thousands of people experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a result of hearing Bennett's testimony.