Career
Cotton was brought to the revival by hearing of "the great awakening of the Spirit." At the revival, she was later healed of weak lungs and cancer that was found in her nose. After her conversion, Cotton was frequently referred to herself as "a walking drug store" while many others called her "Sister Cotton". Returning to California, Sister Cotton held a variety of church services all across the state.
Azusa Temple
By 1920, Cotton had stepped down from her role as church mothers to becoming a full-time pastor for her own church, the Azusa Temple, in Los Los Angeles
Today, the church is known as Crouch Memorial Church, named after one of Cotton"s proteges, Samuel Crouch. To this day the church is an active congregation affiliated with Church Of God in Christ. McPherson was frequently known to only allow a small number of women to preach at her church, the Angelus Temple.
In 1936, Mother Cotton asked McPherson to host a 30th anniversary party to commemorate the Azusa Street beginnings. lieutenant was described in fliers as "a great getting together that we might be renewed in the old-time Spirit and power." Cotton was asked to speak at the gathering in order to address the crowds at the Angelus Temple.
lieutenant was there that she encouraged the temple towards unity and warned against sectarian interests that were starting to rise.
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." lieutenant"s 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. While many accounts focus on the prominence of men in leadership, Cotton wrote about the importance of Lucy Farrow and Julia Hutchins in the success of the revival. Cotton is also credited with songwriting credits including a gospel favorite, "John Saw That Number." Some historians also cr her with authorship of the famous, "When the Saints Go Marching In," although that has never been fully corroborated.
Cotton"s bout of cancer return 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.
