Revival has reportedly broken out at Asbury University, a small evangelical college in Kentucky, attracting hundreds of people to join for 24/7 prayer and worship, according to reports from students and staff.
A regular chapel service that began Wednesday morning at the campus of about 1,600 students turned extraordinary when a group of students stayed behind in the university’s Hughes Auditorium to continue worshipping. The message that morning had focused on confession, repentance, and love in action, based on Romans 12.
“God began pouring out his love among the students in a profound way,” Asbury Theological Seminary Vice President of Formation Matt Barnes wrote on Facebook.
More students joined, and then more.
“It really resonated with us,” said Alexandra Presta, an Asbury senior and executive editor of The Asbury Collegian, the student newspaper. “We’re all encouraging each other to have this posture of radical humility. It’s not about us. It’s about Jesus. And I think that’s why it continues.”
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Presta told The Roys Report (TRR) that she had initially stepped out of chapel Wednesday morning “with the full intention” of attending her 11 a.m. class. But once outside the auditorium, she heard the gospel choir continue to sing.
“And I was like, ‘That’s weird. Why are they still going?’” she said. “And then I just felt the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, told me to go back upstairs. And so I did.”
As word spread online, students from nearby universities, like the University of Kentucky, joined in worship and prayer, Presta said. Churchgoers also started gathering—not just from the Lexington area but also traveling from as far away as Michigan and South Carolina.
Tim Beougher, pastor of West Broadway Baptist Church and a professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, told Kentucky Today that he was encouraged by what’s happening at Asbury. “We need to pray for the Lord’s protection on them,” he added. “When God said let us arise and build, Satan says let us arise and destroy.”
As of Saturday afternoon, students remained in the chapel, singing, praying, reading Scripture, experiencing moments of stillness, and sharing personal testimonies. One student dragged a mattress from his dorm to the chapel floor to spend the night there, Presta said. Other people slept against the wall or went home to sleep and return later, she added. The university and volunteers have provided food and drinks in the auditorium basement at times.
Asbury Collegian’s website, where Presta has posted daily updates on the revival, experienced so much traffic Saturday that it briefly crashed.
Asbury President Kevin Brown spoke about John 17 Friday night, a passage that calls for unity, Presta reported.
“So when people see us, they see one accord,” Brown said. “For this generation, for the church, for the world, for the edification of our neighbor, and for the glory of God. This is not a Hughes Auditorium thing. This is not an Asbury thing. This is a kingdom thing.”
Micah Pace, an Asbury alum and Creative Arts Director at Northeast Christian Church in nearby Lexington, has helped lead worship for parts of the revival. He shared on Instagram that the Friday evening service was so packed that after every seat was taken, people stood lining the walls and side doors. The auditorium’s seating capacity is about 1,500 people, according to the university website.
“It’s growing, it’s growing. It’s insane,” Presta said. “They’ve been coming from everywhere.”
She described how people watching the livestream online have sent prayers from not just around the country but also Paraguay, Indonesia, India, and other far-off places.
Older generations remember a revival that swept the college in February 1970, another time of political unrest. Back then, after the dean invited students to share testimonies at the chapel service, students continued worshipping and praying for 144 hours. The college canceled classes for a week. Teams of Asbury students and faculty toured churches and colleges around the country to share about the revival.
Presta said students are aware of the history. Her freshman year the university celebrated the 50th anniversary of that revival. But she added that this week’s revival is “its own unique experience.”
Most Asbury professors have canceled classes and postponed homework assignments so students and staff can participate in the prayer and worship, Presta said.
With an overarching theme of love in action, students are praying for specific issues they feel the Holy Spirit is laying on their hearts. This includes families experiencing trauma, people struggling with suicidal ideation and self harm, people who have been hurt by church leaders, and more, according to Presta.
Jason Vickers, a professor at Asbury Theological Seminary, wrote on Facebook that he visited the revival for the first time on Friday afternoon. “The peacefulness in that place is so palpable that a mere ten minutes had made an impression that will last the remainder of my lifetime,” he wrote.
Before this week’s revival, students had flocked to other worship nights on campus, including “Worship Him at Midnight” (called WHAM), which started this semester on Jan. 27.
“We’re trying to understand God’s love to the fullest extent,” Presta said.
Meagan Saliashvili is an award-winning freelance religion reporter based in New York. Her bylines have appeared in Religion News Service, Christianity Today, Religion Unplugged, Newsweek, Dallas Morning News, and more. Follow her at @Meagan_Salia.
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59 Responses
Revival: This is so encouraging!!!
True true true True True???? ????????????????☺????????????????????????????????????????????❤????❤️????????????????????????????????????????????????❤???????????? ????????????
Kentucky needs this right now. Beautiful state with beautiful people.
Is there a link to the livestream?
Praying that this Revival will last until other Colleges and Churches are caught up in the Holy Spirit’s mighty power.
I have experienced one time when God’s “glory” came down for just a few short moments. I also experienced the “Jesus Movement/Revival in California in late ’70’. One thing I have found similar, esp with this one here at Asbury… The students decided to remain. This is really all He requires of us! We pray and worship, & right when God wants to join, we leave, in a hurry. This group decided to stay!!
We see depravity now in America, every day, wherever we look.
It’s encouraging to see young people on their knees in prayer.
May this revival spread like wildfire across this land.
America has never been in deeper trouble. Lord help us.
Our country is in such desperate need of national revival. Jesus is the only hope that could heal our land in the midst of such hate and division. True lasting revival will come from the youth such as in Asbury and can spread like wildfire. We’re praying it spreads to other cities and steamrolls.
Have been watching this wonderful happening from Portland Victoria Australia
We’re praying expectantly and believing for this revival to be ignited in Australia and the Pacific Islands.
All glory to our God.
Thankyou Jesus!
This is awesome. “Signs and wonders when God moves by His Spirit.”
I live in SC but have been so moved by hearing of the Spirit’s working in the college. Praying it will continue and spread far and wide. We have been meeting for awhile here praying for revival. Lord, let us seek You.
I too live in SC and praying for many years for Revival to come.
Revival is for us to Know God and the power of his resurrection. A time to examine our lives and purify them so God can cleanse us of all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls.
So seek God with fear and trembling. Obey the Gospel, repent and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Seek the scripture to find out what is that good and acceptable will of God for you.
what a blessing for me to hear the good news that GOD is still stirring hearts, i will be 84 praying that all our young people will spread the good news. Blessings to all.
Sondra, thank you. I love hearing this.
I am 42 and you and I are sisters, young lady! ????
I was there yesterday, and there was a blanket of gentleness over the entire place – a deep peace that was almost tangible. I still feel it a day later. A friend said that last night there was hardly a parking place to be found in town, and people were on the streets like it was a parade. The chapel was bulging with people – worshipping. May it continue and spread.
Yes. Many years ago 1830(?) there was a move of God in Cane Ridge Kentucky that changed many many hearts and Churches.
This is so amazing – please share on social media! Praise God for these young people taking a stand!
I visited Asbury just to see the site where that wonderful awakening was. I am 86 and can’t come now. ANDREW Strom a minister once said there is a revival in America every 50 years. Sounds true now!My grandson lives inGeorgetown, loved the LORD has an autism son, upset at Lord, needs renewed. Name is Markus Heinonen Pease pray for Samuel.
I will be praying for Markus and Samuel. This news of revival is so wonderful – we have been praying so long for God to bring revival to our country again… may we all be responsive to His working in us.
Thanks for sharing this! With so much falsity, there’s a hunger for something spiritual, biblical and real.
Prayers for your son and grandson.
”SHOW ME YOUR GLORY” THAT I MAY KNOW YOU . THE BIBLE COMMENTARY , THAT BROUGHT REVIVAL , Matthew Henry’s COMMENTARY , edited for names800Jesus/Google, online site .
God is awakening His people, His church to stir up a united church all across the USA and the world. People of faith, God and followers of Jesus. The King of Kings and The Lord of Lords..
Hallelujah ???????????? great Awakening time???????????????? We need Holyspirt ???????????? What encouraging this is!!! Holyspirt at work????
After months of praying for a revival — GOD IS SHOWING UP! My prayer now is that it will spread all across our nation and the world! Repentance will turn things around!
Such an incredible answer to prayer and so timely. Thank you, Lord! May your Spirit’s power spread like fire over our whole land.
Praise You, Lord Jesus! Jesus is Risen, Alleluia, M
This happened 50 years ago while I was an undergrad at Houghton College (now Houghton University) in Western New York State. Word spread like wildfire, with the anticipation that the movement would reach across the entire nation. Just the fact that it did indeed have some impact at Houghton was supportive of the notion, but we did not have access to the internet back then so the amount of information trickling across our country was quite limited. Anyhow, interesting Asbury is the origin of the new movement of God’s spirit. This nation really, really, really NEEDS a sweeping revival to end the woke madness that’s gripping all aspects of our society and culture.
Such a beautiful report, and I’m very thankful. There is nothing like experiencing the palpable presence of our holy, gracious, wonderful, kind, and loving God.
I would love to go to the revival in Kentucky. Right now it is impossible for me to go.
This begs the question. I hope the young people at the revival are praying for the end of the pandemic. I have one story to share. I talked to a young woman who’s young son caught Covid-19 in 2020. The boy had to be put on a ventilator. The doctors wanted him to remove him. The mother refused. Two years later, he is still recovering. He had kidney dialysis. Right now he is in home still recovering.
The mRNA vaccines are very good. Still there is a lot of room for improvement. I hope and pray that the revival will hasten the end of the pamdemic
Our pastor mentioned in our Sunday Service reading about this revival and I came home to read about it. My retired pastor husband and I have been praying for a nationwide revival which is much overdue. Lord in the mighty name of Jesus keep this revival alive and may many more join in from all directions. To God be the glory!
I remember the Ashbury revival, the Jesus movement & also the Catholic Charismatic movement of the 70’s. Yes Lord , please do it again.
we so need a fresh move of your Spirit,
He will. God is Faithful and He will pour out His Spirit for a great Harvest!!!
Best wishes to all the young people, the university, and everyone in the area.
The 1970 Asbury Revival was written up by Dr Kurt Koch and published as a stop press addition to his book on the Revival in Indonesia (Having read that at the time, i find this latest report electrifying). He later published more details in https://www.reavivamentos.com/recent_revivals/revival_asbury.php.
It is so wonderful to see young people worshipping God. Us old folks could take a lesson from their fortitude and dedication in serving and obeying the Lord!
Praise God he is King of Kings and lord of lords
PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM BLESSING FLOW! He will never leave us nor forsake us. Spread the
Word to all you know. Keep on praying and praising God.
Jas 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. May it rain over the whole earth.