Asbury University has, for almost two weeks now, been the scene of a massive prayer revival. Thousands of students, faculty, locals, and Christians from around the country have gathered around the country to turn what started off as a normal chapel service into a weeks-long continuous gathering of the faithful.
Up until recently, however, the event has primarily been confined to Protestant Christians. Asbury is a Protestant University and public prayer “revivals” of this sort are much more a feature of Protestant churches than Orthodox or Roman Catholic Churches, which tend to focus more on traditional services and ceremonies than events meant to drum up a high-energy crowd.
Despite that, however, the event has turned into one where many Christian denominations are represented, including all sorts of Protestant sects and Catholics. Breitbart, reporting on that new feature of the massive revival, reported that:
The massive Christian revival taking place at Kentucky’s Asbury University has spilled over into many Christian denominations, drawing faithful from mainline Protestant churches, bible-based groups, and Catholics.
When an ordinary prayer service was held at this small Christian college on February 8, no one dreamed it would balloon into the immense ecumenical phenomenon it has now become.
[…]Students have streamed into town from Purdue University, Indiana Wesleyan University, Ohio Christian University, Transylvania University, Lee University, Georgetown College, and countless others, but visitors have also come from farther still, places like Hawaii, Mexico, New Zealand, and Indonesia.
In fact, the chaplain at the local Roman Catholic school, Lexington Catholic High School, said that the ongoing prayer revival is a “wellspring.” Continuing, that chaplain, Father Norman Fischer, said “You just know right away that God is there.”
Adding more details about Father Fischer and how he viewed the event, Breitbart reported that:
Father Fischer said he traveled to Asbury on February 12 and saw a number of current and former Lexington Catholic High School students among the worshipers.
“Hands were raised, people were singing, and all were in one accord,” Father Fischer said, citing Psalm 133, “how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together as one.”
Father Fischer said he found himself “filled with love” during the experience and “got into praise mode.”
The Asbury phenomenon is “pure” and “definitely of God, definitely of the Holy Spirit,” the priest said.
Similarly, Katie Reynolds of Pax Christi Catholic Church in Lexington, where Asbury is located, has already been to the Asbury gathering three times with her kids. She, speaking on the revival, said “Every seat was full, and it was standing-room only. You could feel the Holy Spirit in the building.”
Asbury University president Kevin J. Brown said, in a statement posted to the school’s website, “Since the first day, there have been countless expressions and demonstrations of radical humility, compassion, confession, consecration, and surrender unto the Lord.” Brown added that “We are witnessing the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
"*" indicates required fields
Watch the revival here:
The revival at Asbury University is coming up on 250 straight hours. pic.twitter.com/Nx1CTaKSOa
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) February 18, 2023
By: Will Tanner. Follow me on Twitter @Will_Tanner_1
Featured image credit: screenshot from embedded video