A service has lasted for over 100 hours in Asbury University’s chapel, with no signs of stopping soon.
Last Wednesday, after a standard chapel meeting, at least 100 people fell to their knees and bowed at the altar during a call of confession. Since then, people have been giving testimonies, reading scripture and praying in what participants are calling “a revival,” with students, professors and local church leaders taking part.
Alexandra Presta, the editor of the student-run website The Asbury Collegian, described the scene in the chapel.
“Peers, professors, local church leaders and seminary students surround me — all of them praying, worshipping and praising God together,” Presta wrote. “Voices are ringing out. People are bowing at the altar, arms stretched wide. A pair of friends cling to each other in a hug, one with tears in her eyes. A diverse group of individuals crowd the piano and flawlessly switch from song to song. Some even sit like me, with laptops open. No one wants to leave.”
Anneli White, a student at the University of Kentucky and a member at Immanuel Baptist Church, told Kentucky Today that “chains were broken, confession happened, and God was praised as holy, holy, holy.”
#asburyrevival update: this was the DINNER BREAK about an hour ago. Very few people left—they just wanted to keep singing! pic.twitter.com/HpQJFMSDXx
— Dr. Sue Nicholson (@drsue) February 13, 2023
Asbury University is a private Christian university with roots in the Wesleyan-Holiness movement, and this isn’t its’ first revival. This current movement has many reminiscing of a revival that took place at Asbury in 1970, partly due to both events being tied to difficult times in American history. On Feb. 3rd, 1970, during a chapel service, Dean Custer Reynolds allowed students to share their testimonies, igniting a 144-hour long revival.
Powerful images from the #AsburyRevival. 5 days of nonstop worship and lives transformed… pic.twitter.com/E8owcXvxM2
— Shane Claiborne (@ShaneClaiborne) February 13, 2023
