LeRoy to Present Azusa Lecture at Lee, Murray to Receive Spirit of Azusa Award

Cleveland, TN (11/02/2026) — Dr. Donald LeRoy will present the 21st Annual Azusa Lecture on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. in Lee University's Cornerstone Chapel.

LeRoy will present "Shaping a Musical Legacy: 75 Years of the Red Back Hymnal." Following LeRoy's presentation, the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center will honor Voices of Lee director Danny Murray with the Spirit of Azusa Award and a reception for his exemplary leadership in worship through music.

Those unable to attend in person may view the lecture and award presentation livestream at leeu.live.

LeRoy is campus pastor of Pathway Church of God in Southaven, Mississippi, an ordained bishop in the Church of God, and an online instructor of music at Lee University. An experienced worship leader, his research specialty is shape note music. He has written and presented widely on the history and legacy of the Church Hymnal, which is popularly known as the "Red Back" hymnal.

LeRoy has more than 25 years of experience teaching and developing programs for students and ministry leaders. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in sacred music from the University of Memphis, his Master of Music in music theory from Florida State University, and his Bachelor of Arts in church music from Lee.

Prior to becoming campus pastor of Pathway Church, LeRoy served as the worship pastor at West Metro Church of God in Douglas, Georgia, and an assistant professor of music at Lee University. While a full-time faculty member at Lee, he led the development of a Bachelor of Music in church music and directed the Ladies of Lee ensemble.

Murray, a veteran church musician, will be the recipient of the 2026 Spirit of Azusa Award and the honored guest at a reception following the lecture. Murray has coached collegiate-aged musicians at Lee for over 40 years, including the world-renowned a cappella ensemble Voices of Lee since 1994. Prior to his leadership of Voices of Lee, Murray founded and directed the musical group New Harvest.

Voices of Lee has toured globally and received international recognition including singing at the White House, being designated Favorite Group by the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America, and finishing as second runner-up in the debut season of NBC's "The Sing-Off." The ensemble has produced 21 recordings, and their video recordings have exceeded 103 million views online.

Among Murray's previous honors are the Alpha Gamma Chi Alumnus of the Year in 2008, the Church of God Department of Youth and Discipleship's Lifetime Impact Award in 2017, and Lee University's Alumnus of the Year in 2019. In recognition of his many years of developing student musicians, the university dedicated the Danny Murray Recording Studio in his honor in 2022. Co-written with Mark Harris, Murray's "Stronger in Broken Places" became a number one song on the Contemporary Christian Music Chart in 2011.

Since 1975, Murray has served Lee University in numerous capacities including director of church relations, director of institutional development, interim director of Lee Singers, promotions director, admissions counselor, and director of student music ministries.

He has served the Church of God as music minister for North Cleveland Church of God, a member of the Global Worship Initiative Board, a program director for Teen Talent, and a frequent worship leader at events such as Smoky Mountain Gathering and International General Assemblies.

The purpose of the Azusa Lecture is to celebrate the rich heritage of the global Pentecostal Movement. The Dixon Pentecostal Research Center launched the annual lecture in 2006 in recognition of the centennial of the revival at the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles. Church of God historian Charles W. Conn noted that the Los Angeles revival, which lasted from 1906 to 1909, "is universally regarded as the beginning of the modern Pentecostal Movement."

The Los Angeles revival began when Pastor William Joseph Seymour preached a message of Spirit baptism following salvation and sanctification. What started as a home prayer meeting attracted crowds of seekers and was moved to an abandoned building at 312 Azusa Street. Hundreds traveled to the Azusa Street Mission, received a personal baptism of the Holy Spirit, and took that message to their homes, churches, and communities. The Pentecostal Movement quickly became a great missionary movement, and the twentieth century came to be called the "Century of the Holy Spirit."

Founded by Charles W. Conn on the Lee campus, the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center is one of the world's significant collections of Pentecostal and Charismatic resources as well as the archives of the Church of God. The center interprets the Pentecostal Movement through teaching, publications, and historical exhibits and is a resource for Church of God ministries throughout the world. In addition to students at Lee and Pentecostal Theological Seminary, numerous scholars utilize the center's holdings. Dr. David G. Roebuck serves as director and Reverend David "Gene" Mills Jr. serves as archivist.

For more information about the Azusa Lecture contact the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center at (423) 614-8576 or dixon_research@leeuniversity.edu.

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