On Feb. 19, Asbury University hosted its final full day of public worship in Hughes Auditorium, as part of what many are calling a “revival.”
For the following week, outpouring services continued in Hughes for high school and college students, ages 16 to 25. These outpouring services were streamed for public access.
As of Feb. 21, outpouring services are set to continue until the National Collegiate Day of Prayer on Feb. 23. No further services will be held, starting Feb. 25.
“While I remain profoundly grateful that staff, faculty, and students get to be a part of God’s unique and powerful work on our campus, I want to be mindful of my mandate as a fiduciary of Asbury’s resources and student-centric mission,” Asbury University President Kevin Brown said.
The movement originated from the Feb. 8 chapel service, when students were invited to continue worshiping after the chapel service had officially concluded. Worship continued for the rest of the day and beyond, lasting for close to two weeks.
Over the course of the next two weeks, Hughes Auditorium welcomed tens of thousands of off-campus visitors to join students in worship. Hughes, which contains 1,489 seats, became filled to capacity, forcing worship to expand into the Asbury Theological Seminary’s Estes Chapel and the neighboring McKenna Chapel.
In addition to worship, students and visitors alike were invited to share their testimonies with the congregation.
“The Holy Spirit is evidently resting in Hughes Chapel,” Mary-Grayce Narron, a member of the Ignited Class, shared in Hughes from a journal entry on Feb. 10. “The Father is evidently in the business of saving and redeeming the lost. The Son is evidently being magnified. Bodies are tired, but souls are being brought to life. Dry bones are coming to life again.”
“I’ve been dealing with suicidal thoughts for the past year and a half, I haven’t been able to tell anyone until recently,” said another anonymous worshiper. “Yesterday was the first day where I was able to give those thoughts to God and know that I am not strong enough to face it alone, so I am rededicating my life to God and instead of walking the path alone I’m going to walk with God.”
The final public service follows a week of local concern due to the large influx of visitors in Wilmore. Police were stationed around campus for security purposes, and specific entrances to Hughes were designated “student only” or “visitor only,” with officers stationed to enforce those designations.
“Thank you for your continued support and patience during the AU event,” police wrote in a Feb. 18 statement. “We ask that you use extreme caution while traveling in the city paying close attention to the pedestrian traffic. Parking is limited, however, please do not park in designated no-parking, fire lane, or handicap zones or in residential driveways or yards.”
“I have been asked if Asbury is ‘stopping’ this outpouring of God’s Spirit and the stirring of human hearts,” Brown said. “I have responded by pointing out that we cannot stop something we did not start. This was never planned. Over the last few weeks, we have been honored to steward and host services and the guests who have traveled far and wide to attend them.”
Asbury experienced comparable revivals in the years 1905, 1908, 1921, 1950, 1958, 1970, 1992, and 2006.
“People have been praying for it for years,” Craig Keener, Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theoligical Seminary, told the Lexington Herald-Leader. “I was hoping it would happen before I retired.”
“Never in my life will I forget this,” Brown said. “Never in my life have I been so proud to say that I am a part of Asbury University. I write this with tears. The people here are so special.”
