This week, Baylor University followed the lead of Asbury University and picked up the torch of continuous worship, hosting a three day Christian revival called FM72.
The event not only led many people to worship God and praise Christ during the Easter season, but also led to the baptisms of more than 20 people.
Each spring, Baylor students gather on campus for "FM72" — 72 hours of prayer for revival & renewal in our campus, city & world. 🐻🙏💚
Now through Wednesday, prayer tents & nightly worship services are back in the heart of campus, on Fountain Mall: https://t.co/xIPidzlzNN pic.twitter.com/sNDE1n8Wym
— Baylor University (@Baylor) March 19, 2023
Announcing the event in a press release, Baylor University said:
Baylor University’s Office of Spiritual Life, in collaboration with campus ministries and Waco churches, will again host FM72, a gathering of college students March 27-30 on Fountain Mall in the heart of the Baylor campus for 72 hours of continuous prayer, asking God for revival and renewal.
In addition, each night at 8 p.m., students will gather at McLane Stadium for worship, prayer and hearing from God’s Word. The worship services will be streamed live on the FM72 website.
“The goal of FM72 is to stir a passion for Jesus Christ in the Baylor community,” said Charles Ramsey, Ph.D., director of Baptist Student Ministries at Baylor. “It is a time to take inventory of one’s own journey, to linger in prayer, to recalibrate towards what is most important: our shared faith in Jesus Christ.”
The mission of FM72 is that each attendee experiences a clear and compelling call to know Jesus and find a spiritual community where they can grow.
Connecting FM72 to an event in 1945 in which students prayed for 90 days, Ramsey also said, “The 1945 generation experienced revival, a spiritual awakening that brought a searing clarity about what is truly important. They understood that faith was not simply a good thing, but rather it was the vital element of a good life. Their motto, ‘I’d rather have Jesus,’ was a statement of defiance to the political, social and economic forces whose allure was drawing them away from a life centered on Christ.”
Ramsey added, “There is a wonder, and sense of joy in discovering prayer, and for many this opens the way to an ongoing and deepening devotional, a more personal faith and a love for the church.”
FM72’s “about” page provided details about the background of the event as well, saying:
Baylor students prayed for revival for 90 straight days in the spring of 1945. The movement that God brought was felt throughout Texas, the South, and even as far as Hawaii and helped develop ministries like the Journeyman mission program and the Passion Conference.
Flash forward to 2018 where God began to stir in the hearts of college ministry leaders and pastors to come together and unite students and campuses in Waco under that same powerful name of Jesus!
As these local college leaders began to ask God where we should pray and gather for these 72 hours, He made it clear that we should gather at the heart of Baylor’s campus, where a similar movement began nearly 75 years ago.
During the spring semester of 2019 and every year since, thousands gathered on Fountain Mall for the 72 hours to pray, worship, and unite under the name of Jesus. God’s Spirit was present and an anointing fell on our campus unlike any other time in Baylor’s recent history! All because we prayed and gathered together, under the name of Jesus.
Featured image credit: screengrab from embedded video
"*" indicates required fields