“What I walked into was a room full of people worshiping in the most simplest, raw form,” Taylor University freshman Rebecca Stillwell said.
Stillwell, a social work major, was one of thousands who traveled from all over to experience what people called an “outpouring” of the Holy Spirit. The revival spanned two weeks in Hughes Auditorium at Asbury University, starting Wednesday, Feb. 8. The university did not plan it.
In that time, outsiders packed the small town of Wilmore, Kentucky. The university later instituted safety measures to account for building capacity. Lines to enter into the auditorium sometimes measured nearly a quarter mile — overflow buildings were simply not enough.
The outpour consisted of continuous worship without projected lyrics, flashing lights or minister introductions — live streaming was not allowed.
A Christianity Today article said that by Friday, Feb. 10, 3,000 people had journeyed to experience it. Some reports, the article said, totaled a number of nearly 20,000 visitors by the time it ended Feb. 23. Another article from The New York Times said that Asbury speculated 50,000.
Stillwell drove to Asbury Friday, Feb. 10. Her visit happened before university administrators implemented regulatory guidance.
She described the abundance of visitors and said that everywhere from the aisles in Hughes to the entrance were crowded with people. The spontaneous service consisted of prayer over people, periodic brief gospel messages and worship. Groups leading worship rotated every so often.
By Saturday, various school administrators, staff, faculty and neighbors of the university gathered to establish organizational oversight to care for the growing crowds and prevent people from claiming the revival for their own agendas. Hundreds of volunteers and several organizations such as the Salvation Army provided food, water and aid to the increasing guests.
Worship did not stop, save for when the service would break for dinner or pause for the night — steps to ensure the safety of leaders and guests.
The small Wesleyan school emphasized “radical humility.” A statement on Asbury’s website about the revival acknowledged the “stopping” of the outpour.
“I have responded by pointing out that we cannot stop something we did not start,” the website said. “This was never planned.”
During the school’s regular 10 a.m. chapel on Feb. 8, speaker the Rev. Zach Meerkreebs, Asbury University Envision leadership coordinator, gave a message on Romans 12: 9-21. His message was about love in action through God alone.
During and after his message, Meerkreebs prayed for the Holy Spirit to come.
“As they can pursue freedom, they can experience more of your love to be poured out to love others — to become love in action,” Meerkreebs prayed. “Would you produce fruit in this room, in these souls, in these minds and in these hearts?”
Few students stayed after the service to pray with one another, an article from The New York Times said. Soon, the group grew — and it didn’t stop.
Richard Smith, associate professor of biblical studies at Taylor University, said that revivals are often characterized through confession of sin and repentance. What is being revived, he said, is people’s spiritual integrity.
“Eventually, if the revival doesn't trickle down into actually just changing the way people live [on] the mundane, everyday level, then we have to ask ourselves some questions about what was actually revived,” Smith said.
William Heth, professor of biblical studies at Taylor University, said that spread is another characteristic of revival, as evidenced by schools such as Cedarville University or Baylor University that experienced their own revival shortly after Asbury’s outbreak.
Asbury, he said, had a similar revival in 1970. Heth said social media played a big part in the growth and spread of the Asbury revival.
“James 5:14 says confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed,” Heth said. “I think that verse explains a huge part of what went on here [at Taylor] in 2009 and how it started Asbury.”
Stillwell said her experience in Wilmore helped her to see how faith is not a feeling. Her focus, she said, had to be on Jesus.
Like many others, Stillwell’s Asbury experience was not limited to Hughes Auditorium. During her journey to and from Wilmore, she saw God provide in even the smallest of ways.
“One thing that we should caution as we talk about revival and as we honor what has happened at Asbury, [is that] we shouldn't pray for revival necessarily, because that’s when we get performance,” Stillwell said. “We should pray for Jesus, because that's when you'll get revival.”
