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Asbury Revival Update 4: The Campus, Churches and Community Are Overwhelmed by the Swelling Crowds

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Other churches have had to cancel services because there is no parking space for their own parishioners near the church. Mt. Freedom Baptist Church has had to do this.

Some churches have opened their doors to provide safe space, quiet prayer space and much needed bathroom facilities. Wilmore Christian Church has done this.

Churches are also offering parking. Wilmore United Methodist Church is doing that and is shuttling visitors to the Asbury campus and back again.

Still other congregations must shift around their scheduled services. Wilmore Anglican Church has had to do this. The ANCA student congregation shares worship space at the McKenna Chapel which has been designated as an overflow chapel.

It has been a challenge particularly on Sundays. Now that as Wednesday approaches liturgical churches, at least, enter a season of penitential rites, rituals, and special Lenten activities.

First will be Ash Wednesday with the anticipated imposition of ashes. During Lent churches usually have extra mid-week services or even special Friday night fish fries. So, during the Asbury Outpouring do local churches prepare for 10, 100, or 1,000 participants? How long will the Asbury experience impact their congregations? These are unanswerable questions at least now. The answers will come only as the Asbury Revival continues.

Not only are the local churches scrambling, but Asbury University is working hard to keep up with the Holy Spirit and not impede Him, yet maintain the integrity of The Revival, which Asbury prefers to call an Outpouring, and protect its students.

The University has found itself tweaking logistical aspects of The Revival daily to keep up with the increasing crush of the growing crowd.

The school has had to increase a police presence, regulate access to campus buildings — particularly Hughes Auditorium — find additional worship space to accommodate the growing masses, juggle schedules and available space, and forge cooperation with local churches. It has not been easy.

Most people still want to get into Hughes Auditorium, the epicenter of The Revival where the Holy Spirit first fell on February 8th. Long lines have developed wrapping around the property with a possible 10 hour wait to get in. There are also hours-long waits at McKenna Chapel and Estes Chapel over at Asbury Seminary.

But many students, and visitors, are willing to stand out in the cold where the temperature has dipped to 26 degrees, endure the rain and snow — it poured on Thursday (February 16) and lightly snowed Friday (February 17) — and remain in the dark to be near Hughes Auditorium. The outdoors has become their chapel of praise and worship even if it means kneeling on the cold wet grass beneath a canopy of leafless trees as their roof.

The students are also being given preferential seating — if they can get in Hughes Auditorium — because it is their university and the Holy Spirit first came to them as an answer to their prayer.

The University has found that it has had to make some major changes in the scheduling of worship services to help maintain the logistical sustainability of the Holy Spirit’s special visitation and preserve the integrity of the University’s teaching mission.

Asbury University has a student body of about 1,600 and across the street is neighboring Asbury Theological Seminary with a student body of about 1,700 and both schools are in the small community of Wilmore, Kentucky with a population of about 6,000.

By Saturday evening (February 18) The Revival had passed the 250-hour mark and the expanding crowd had swelled to more than 5,000 with more coming in. Asbury University has prayerfully determined it cannot continue to sustain such large crowds on campus.

It was a tax on resources, a drain on faculty and staff, a strain on property, and it demanded a greater than normal responsibility for the safety and well-being of Asbury students.

Currently, The Revival schedule includes a scheduled 2 pm afternoon worship followed by a 7:30 pm evening worship experience at Hughes Auditorium with simulcasting to the overflow chapels and churches. Hughes closes at 1 am to allow for rest and cleaning then reopens 12 hours later.

Sunday (February 19) is to be the final scheduled public evening service at Hughes Auditorium. Although, the evening services will continue for students through Wednesday (February 22).

The public will also be able to continue to attend the 2 o’clock afternoon services through Wednesday. However, both the afternoon and evening services give priority seating to the students. Other visitors are invited to participate in the various overflow locations which also now includes the Seminary’s gymnasium and cafeteria.

“Largest crowds yet in Wilmore. Asbury Seminary will host multiple simulcast locations with prayer teams prepared to pray for all,” tweeted Asbury Seminary President Timothy Tennant. “The following areas ON CAMPUS will be fully equipped to serve: Estes Chapel, Cowan Building, McKenna Chapel, the cafeteria and the gym! Come, Holy Spirit!”

The Seminary has been working in tandem with the University to help provide much needed Revival overflow space.

Thursday (February 23) is a big day for Asbury University because it will be hosting the previously scheduled National Collegiate Day of Prayer. The special Day of Prayer is a student-only event and will not be open to the general public.

Then on Friday (February 24) the focus will shift outward from Asbury to the outlining communities.

“As part of Asbury’s intention of encouraging and commissioning others to “go out” and share what they have experienced, all services will be hosted at other locations and no longer held at Asbury University,” the University posted on its website. “We encourage guests to utilize these other designated facilities for worship and gathering.”

There are those on social media who are accusing the University of trying to shut down The Revival and curtail the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This is not the case at all.

“This weekend is still in the ‘come and see’ phase of this Awakening. We will soon move to the ‘go and tell’ phase,” explains the Asbury Seminary president. “Asbury Seminary is pledging to support students who will go out and share their testimonies around the country. This is already happening and the fruit is strong!”

This new focus is in keeping with how Asbury College spread word of its 1970 Revival. Two thousand students fanned out across the United States and visited 130 college campuses and other churches with the joyful news of the Asbury Revival.

“Some 2,000 witness teams went out from Wilmore to churches and at least 130 college campuses around the nation,” the Asbury archives revealed.

Wilmore is also struggling to keep up with the growing crowds.

The 11-man Wilmore Police Department has had to join forces with the Jessamine County Sheriff’s Office as out of town and out of state cars streamed in and out of the small community.

“Please feel confident that the Wilmore Police Department, along with the help of numerous other agencies around the state are patrolling, monitoring, and providing guidance during the event,” the police department reassures the Wilmore citizenry on Facebook.

In addition to all the people flooding into town to see what is happening at Asbury there was another event in Wilmore Saturday evening. The 1980 Dance Party was being held at the Wilmore Municipal Center.

“We are so excited about the show tonight. Due to all the extra traffic in Wilmore you may want to leave early,” Wilmore posted on the city page about the nostalgic dance event. “We are working to preserve our parking lots for this event.”

Parking has become a problem in Wilmore as more people drive into town and seek a place to park and leave their car.

“Parking is limited, however, please do not park in designated no-parking, fire lanes or handicap zones or in residential driveways and yards,” the Police Department warns. “We ask you to use EXTREME caution while traveling in the city paying close attention to pedestrian traffic.”

Without leaving the campus sparks from the Asbury Revival are spreading like wildfire across the nation. The Holy Spirit is crossing state borders and national boundaries as He crosses denominational lines. A growing list of schools, churches, ministries and nations impacted by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit includes but is not limited to: GROUND ZERO — Asbury University (Wilmore, Kentucky);
✓Man of War Church (Lexington, Kentucky);
✓Arise Assembly of God Church (Brandon, Florida);
✓University of Cumberland (Williamsburg, Kentucky);
✓Samford University (Homewood, Alabama);
✓Pulse Evangelistic Ministry (Minneapolis, Minnesota);
✓Lee University (Cleveland, Tennessee);
✓Bethel Church (Redding, California);
✓Cedarville University (Cedarville, Ohio);
✓Fruitland Baptist College (Hendersonville, North Carolina);
✓Ohio Christian University (Circleville, Ohio);
✓King’s Way Church (Irondale, Alabama);
✓Campbellsville University (Campbellsville, Kentucky);
✓the River Church at Tampa Bay (Mango, Florida);
✓New Day Church (Paso Robles, California);
✓Colorado Christian University (Lakewood, Colorado);
✓Eastern Kentucky University (Richmond, Kentucky);
✓Eastern Nazarene University (Quincy, Massachusetts);
✓Georgetown University (Washington, DC);
✓God’s Bible College (Cincinnati, Ohio);
✓Indiana Wesleyan University (Marion, Indiana);
✓Hope College (Holland, Michigan);
✓Kentucky Mountain Bible College (Jackson, Kentucky);
✓Calvary Christian Center (Ormond Beach, Florida);
✓Heritage Fellowship Church (Florence, Kentucky);
✓Rock of Ages Church (Vine Grove, Kentucky);
✓Belmont University (Nashville, Tennessee);
✓Midway University (Midway, Kentucky);
✓Mount Vernon University (Mount Vernon, Ohio);
✓Olivet Nazarene University (Bourbonnais, Illinois);
✓Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, Oklahoma);
✓Greater Life Apostolic Church (Lake Charles, Louisiana);
✓The Ramp School of Ministry (Hamilton, Alabama);
✓Life Church (Little Rock, Arkansas);
✓New Beginnings Baptist Church (Longview, Texas);
✓Jackson High School (Jackson, Georgia);
✓Bethel Church (Austin, Texas);
✓Park Hill Church (Kansas City, Missouri);
✓Kingdom Life Church (Oakville, Maine);
✓Christ for the Nations Institute (Dallas, Texas);
✓Cornerstone University (Grand Rapids, Michigan);
✓Spring Arbor University (Spring Arbor, Michigan);
✓The Gate Church (Charlotte, North Carolina);
✓Phoenix Community Ministry (Athens, Georgia); and
✓Ottawa University (Surprise, Arizona).

There are also reports that revival is spreading internationally to India, Uganda, and Israel.

Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline

ASBURY REVIVAL UPDATE #4: The campus, churches and community are overwhelmed by the swelling crowds
More than 5,000 seekers were in town Saturday with more on the way

By Mary Ann Mueller
VOL Special Correspondent
www.virtueonline.org
February 19, 2023

The Asbury Revival has thrown a monkey wrench into the works of normative local church activity as Ash Wednesday approaches and Lent is about to begin. The churches have been left scrambling to meet the needs of their own congregations while their community is inundated by out-of-town guests seeking that special touch of the Lord by getting up close and personal at the growing Asbury Outpouring of the Holy Spirit on campus.

Some churches have opened their worship spaces up to Asbury University to accommodate the growing crowds since Hughes Auditorium can only seat about 1,500 worshipers as now more than 5,000 have showed up from around the country and even the world. Estes Chapel and McKenna Chapel — on Asbury Seminary grounds; along with Wilmore United Methodist Church, the Great Commission Fellowship Church and Mt. Freedom Baptist Church in Wilmore are all doing so.

Sunday, February 19, 2023
Sunday, March 19, 2023


Source: https://virtueonline.org/asbury-revival-update-4-campus-churches-and-community-are-overwhelmed-swelling-crowds


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