Fifty-thousand people came not just from here in western New York, but all parts of the world to Wilmore, KY (a town of 6000) over a span of 14 days to seek the Lord around the clock in worship at Hughes Auditorium on the campus of Asbury University. Across the street at Asbury Seminary, seekers and worshippers gathered in Estes Chapel and McKenna Chapel. President of the seminary, Dr. Timothy Tennent described it by writing, “You sense the presence and power of God working in people’s lives. Since (February 8) when the outpouring began, I have reflected many times on Jesus’ statement (John 3:8) about the Spirit when he said, ‘the wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.'”

Dr. Tennent continued saying how “this outpouring reveals that it has the same elements which are found in any authentic revival: people repenting of their sins; people being filled with the Holy Spirit; men and women finding reconciliation with God and their neighbor; people capturing a renewed love for Jesus, the gospel and the Holy Scriptures. All of the above has been happening here day after day.”

Prudently, Dr. Tennent then remarked, “I think it is wise to see this… as an awakening. Only if we see lasting transformation which shakes the comfortable foundations of the church… can we look back, in hindsight and say [that] ‘…this has been a revival.'”

Another person observed, “Noticeably absent from the front of the chapel are: flashy praise bands, lighting systems, projectors and screens, celebrity worship leaders and people over 25. There is such a simplicity, and dare I say, a humility to it.”

Spreading to other college campuses, the geographical reach of this movement at Asbury University resembles Francis Asbury himself who preached the gospel from New England to Georgia and into the early frontier, traveling over 250,000 miles on horseback as “the prophet of the long road” under his motto “Live or die, I must ride” and seeing scores of Methodist churches planted.

It is far too soon to determine the long-term effect on what’s been taking place at Asbury, but the impact of God’s work through Francis Asbury remains. President Calvin Coolidge testified to it in a speech saying that Asbury “is entitled to rank as one of the builders of our nation.” Where he is commemorated in Washington DC, the tribute reads:

His continuous journey through cities, villages, and settlements from 1771 to 1816 greatly promoted patriotism, education, morality, and religion in the American republic. If you seek for the results of his labor you will find them in our Christian civilization.

Asbury’s primary work vested in the kingdom of God impacted the shaping of the nation morally and politically as well. The awakening at Asbury today may serve a single purpose in drawing people humbly back to God, but if it is a full-fledged revival, the ripple effects will be more intensive and extensive than individual experiences of renewal and personal relationships reconciling. It will alter every avenue of life firming up the foundation of the Bible, starting in the church first and foremost and including education, arts and entertainment, business, media and even government.

The Rev. Mel McGinnis is a Frewsburg resident.