University ends non-stop revival after 11 days of worship

ASBURY, Ky. (WDKY) – Asbury University in Kentucky called an end to its non-stop revival after 11 days of prayer, the school’s president announced.

President Kevin Brown said he wants to balance the “incredible” moment happening at the school with the needs of the students and their academic experience.

“While I remain profoundly grateful that staff, faculty, and students get to be a part of God’s unique and powerful work on our campus, I want to be mindful of my mandate as a fiduciary of Asbury’s resources and student-centric mission,” Brown said in a statement.

The movement started back on Feb. 8 after a regularly scheduled service, when “students lingered to pray, worship, and share,” Brown said.

The prayers kept going for nearly two weeks, with people coming from around the state to join the students. The 1,400-person auditorium filled up every night, as did four overflow locations playing livestreams. Live worship music played practically nonstop as the days went on.

“The power of social media makes this worldwide,” Wilmore, Kentucky Mayor Harold Rainwater told Nexstar’s WDKY last week.

The final public service of the “recent outpouring,” as Asbury calls the movement, will conclude Monday afternoon.

Even after the end of 24-hour services, ministry programs will be hosted on campus for college and high school students throughout the week, concluding Thursday night on the National Collegiate Day of Prayer.

“This schedule is an attempt to recognize and steward this beautiful, historic moment of spiritual renewal while quickly moving toward a more sustainable campus experience for our students that fosters predictability, well-being, and continuity,” said Brown.

The school said the last time they saw revival at this scale was in 1970. Asbury University “has been known through the years for its history of great revivals,” according to the university’s website, which describes the gatherings as often spilling out of prayer meetings and going on to attract thousands of people over a number of days.

According to Christian Ministry: “Church revivals serve two, main purposes: (1) to revitalize the spiritual life of its members and (2) to gain new followers.”

“Never in my life will I forget this. Never in my life have I been so proud to say that I am a part of Asbury University. I write this with tears. The people here are so special.”

For more information on the list of rules and changes to worship, click here.