Alpha Prayer Pivot: A New Awakening

I (Claire) remember hearing about the 2023 Asbury revival, which occurred at a university in Wilmore, Kentucky. It was sparked by students spontaneously staying in the auditorium following a regularly scheduled chapel. News of the revival largely spread on social media, and for over two weeks 15,000 people attended daily, mainly those from Generation Z.

In this video Shayla interviews David Thomas, a professor who was on campus that day. As he was watching, one girl got up and sat on the old-fashioned alter and shouted out to everyone, “I know I’ve been mean to y’all. I’ve not been nice.” And she described her broken life. And people came round to pray. During the days that followed, people in the chapel were sending apology texts in droves.  

Thomas says that for years he felt caught in the tension between the church of the New Testament and the inert Christian expression of the church of his everyday experience. He says, “I have come to believe that the quality of our friendships is not a sideline issue to the hopes we have for a better day.” For the fullness of God’s presence to come, it appears that the calibre of our relationships really matters.

For 16 days the students and professors of Asbury experienced the “roaring dialogue of love.” They forged deep genuine thick community. Apologized for harm done. Confessed grudges. There were no celebrities in the room. Just honest forgiving connections. And it captured the attention of the world.  

Watch from about 12:45 – 20:45.