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Asbury Revival: Thousands flock to attend 'nonstop' prayer session at Kentucky college chapel

The event started as a routine chapel service on February 8 at Asbury University, a Christian college in Wilmore, Kentucky

WILMORE, KENTUCKY: Students from across the country are traveling thousands of miles to take part in a Christian service at a college chapel in Kentucky that has blossomed into a nonstop prayer session and has gone viral on social media. The event started as a routine chapel service at Asbury University, a Christian college in Wilmore, Kentucky, university employees said.

At the end of the first meeting, dozens of students assembled informally in a gathering that has reportedly continued for seven straight days now. It's worth noting that the setup is rather basic; There are no projector screens or technology integrations — just a chapel brimming with people and an open altar call with a prayer invitation that still hasn't ended.

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“The first day we had a very ordinary service, I would call it unremarkable,” University President Dr Kevin Brown told NBC News. A multicultural gospel choir sang on stage following a morning service on February 8. Brown said that some students continued to linger afterward, and many more gathered at the sanctuary by evening. Mark Whitworth, Asbury University’s vice president of communications, added, "It has absolutely been social media that is the mechanism that people found out about this." Videos hashtagged “Asbury Revival” are garnering millions of views on TikTok and Instagram. 

Spiritual revival?

According to NBC News, the phrase "spiritual revival" has several connotations. In Christianity, it refers to a resurgence in interest in the church from both believers and nonbelievers. Many who attended the Asbury gathering said they were drawn by a spiritual presence they felt was at the event. Some people were seen in TikTok videos crying to worship music with their hands held high. While the clips have gone viral, they have also inspired viewers to make the trip to Asbury themselves. At least 3,000 worshippers gathered at the "revival" on Tuesday night, February 14. According to Brown, at least two-thirds of the attendees are from out of state.

University faculty told NBC News that students and staff from 22 schools had made the trek thus far, with groups coming down from Hawaii to Massachusetts. They said people of faith from Singapore and Canada are also expected to arrive shortly. However, despite the popularity of the event, Asbury faculty said they were cautious not to market or brand what was happening. “The university made an intentional decision not to publicize this because we wanted to place an abundance of respect towards the experience of our students,” said Brown. The videos online have all been posted by participants, with the exception of the weekly three hours of live stream from the chapel.  

Spreading the message

With the growing attendance, some students who joined the spiritual movement over the past week returned to their schools to organize separate worship and prayer gatherings. Students at Lee University in Tennessee started a nonstop prayer vigil Monday morning, February 13, that is still ongoing, according to the university's director of communications Brian Conn. Similar reports came from Anderson University in Indiana, Ohio Christian University near Columbus, and a couple of others, NBC News reported.