Hughes Memorial Auditorium, Asbury College
On Tuesday, February 3, 1970, in the Hughes Auditorium on the campus of Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, during the college’s regular chapel service, which was scheduled to last only 50 minutes, a revival broke out that continued non-stop for 185 hours. Though the revival officially ended at about 3 a.m. on Wednesday morning, February 11, there would be intermittent outbreaks from time to time during chapel services for several weeks after that date.
This is our attempt to take the bits and pieces of numerous accounts and assemble them concisely, so the reader can get a clear overview of what transpired.
Extraordinary Prayer
As with every genuine revival, the one at Asbury College was initiated with fervent intercession by a small number of people. This group committed themselves daily to devotions, sharing with others about what God was showing them during their devotional times, meeting once a week in a small group, as well as holding “all-night” prayer meetings.
The exact details of the prayer process that was used prior to the 1970 Asbury Revival can be read on our website with this link.
What Happened
Chapel service at Asbury College
On Tuesday morning, February 3, 1970, at 10 a.m., with one thousand students present, the chapel service started. The students who had made a high commitment to prayer were in attendance with great expectation that something was going to happen. They even mentioned to one another that they could sense the presence of God. Some of the students had even stated prophetically the night before that the revival was imminent.
Asbury’s academic dean, Custer Reynolds, was scheduled to speak that morning. When he came to the microphone he indicated that he did not feel led to speak, so he briefly gave his testimony, then gave an invitation for students to share about their own personal experiences in their relationship with God.
Several students gave inspiring testimonies about how God was working in their lives. One stood and said:
I’m not believing that I’m standing here telling you what God has done for me. I’ve wasted my time in college up to now, but Christ has met me and I’m different. Last night the Holy Spirit flooded in and filled my life. Now, for the first time ever, I am excited about being a Christian! I wouldn’t want to go back to the emptiness of yesterday for anything.
Other students rose and confessed sins and gave similar testimonies.
Dr. Clarence Hunter then opened the altar for anyone who wanted to come and pray. Immediately hundreds of students rushed to the front, kneeling at the altar four to five deep. Spontaneous singing broke out. The presence of the Lord was so real that all other interests seemed unimportant.
Revival came
Throughout the auditorium, students knelt, not only at the altar, but at their seats, in the aisles, and anywhere they could, to confess their sins and get their hearts right with God.
Several hundred students gave their lives to Christ that day.
At the time the chapel service was to end, the bell sounded for students to go to their classes, but everyone ignored it. Academic Dean Custer Reynolds then approached the microphone and said that classes were cancelled.
Many students were lined up, intending to testify of how God was working in their lives. Many were overcome by their emotions, and with tear-filled confessions, they acknowledged sins they had committed against others that were present, and they publicly asked for forgiveness. Reconciliation began to take place between those who previously had been at odds.
Students continued to publicly pray, sing, and give testimonies, with some students even singing their testimony.
Often students would miss meals and go without sleep because they were more interested in being in the presence of God than they were in anything else.
Referring to the presence of God, students and faculty described it with these words:
1. “The power of God was so present and so real, that time itself seemed to collapse. It was almost as if reality…, we were in a suspended state of reality, and people could sit, hour upon hour and it seemed like only minutes or seconds.”
2. The presence of God was “thick,” it was “heavy”.
3. “… a kind of an aura, kind of a glow about the chapel.”
4. It was like a “warmth around the heart.”
5. “There was a sense of the Divine presence that one doesn’t have often in this life, and when you do have it, you never quite get over it.”
6. Just coming onto the campus, some people indicated they were overcome with conviction power.
There were bold displays of restitution coupled with a bold desire to tell others of what God had done in their lives. Emotions ranged from heart-wrenching contrition to otherworldly calm.
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More hearts are stirred
Across the street, at the Asbury Seminary, the 450 students learned about what was taking place at the college, and desiring the same for themselves, conducted an all-night prayer meeting. On Thursday morning, during their regular chapel service, the exact same thing happened to them as what took place in Hughes Auditorium with the Asbury College students—conviction of sin followed by public repentance, spontaneous singing, testimonies, and prayer. Over the weekend the seminary phase of the revival merged with the college.
Many emphasized that there wasn’t a single person who was directly providing leadership to the flow of what was transpiring. Some also pointed out that even though there was no schedule of events and no one officially in charge, there was no disorder.
Often phone calls or messages were received asking for prayer for loved ones who were in need of salvation, healing, or some other urgent needs. Someone would announce the prayer need, and everyone else would begin praying for that one person and their need.
By evening, those off-campus came to see, with some reporting they were overcome with conviction of sin as they came on campus. During the daytime participation at the auditorium swelled to capacity. During the late night and early morning, the numbers shrank to about 200.
Major American newspapers and television crews, in addition to Christian news media, arrived to report on the revival. People from across America and other parts of the world were aware that revival had come to Asbury.
The auditorium was often filled to capacity
The people of Wilmore, Kentucky, especially the teenagers, also took part in the revival. At times every seat in Hughes Auditorium was filled (1,550 seats), with others standing around the sides.
On Sunday night, February 8, several churches in Wilmore, Kentucky, moved their services to Hughes Auditorium and united with the students in the revival. With 1,600 people packed into the auditorium that night, one local pastor and his wife (David and Helen Seamands) made public confessions, which led to more than 100 people coming forward to kneel at the altar, confessing their sins to God and reconciling with anyone they had bitterness or hard feelings toward.
Public apologies were made and healing took place.
During this time some received the call to go into missions.
Always there was a long line of students waiting to confess that they were just born-again or to give a testimony of new meaning Christ had in their life.
The faculty of the college was not exempt from the overwhelming conviction power that was manifested. One faculty member testified of being a hypocrite. Though he was teaching in the college, he acknowledged that his heart had grown cold and for many years he had lived far from God. He then shared that the revival opened his hardened heart and a new relationship with Christ had begun.
Students prepare for weekend trips to spread the revival
The Revival Spreads
As invitations came in from other college campuses, churches, and schools for Asbury students to come to their location and testify as to what was taking place, teams of students would make visits there and share about the revival—with the exact same thing taking place, just like what was experienced on the campus of Asbury College. Some of these teams even traveled as far away as South America.
Every Saturday for the next several months hundreds of cars filled with Asbury students would travel to churches whose pastors asked them to share about the revival. The order of those services was set aside, and almost the exact thing happened in these churches as what happened at Hughes Auditorium on the campus of Asbury College.
South Meridian Church of God
A remarkable revival broke out at the Anderson, Indiana, South Meridian Church of God following a visit from a team of students from Asbury. That revival was conducted every night for 50 consecutive days (Feb. 22-April 12, 1970). The church was not able to hold the 2,500 people that gathered each night, so the services were moved to a local high school.
By the end of May 1970, approximately 2,000 witnessing teams of students had gone out from Asbury College and Seminary. One half of the 1,000-member student body was a part of these witnessing teams. Thousands of conversions were experienced as a result of these team’s witness.
By the summer of 1970, there were 130 colleges, seminaries, and Bible schools that had been impacted by the Asbury students with their “revival outreach” trips.
Decades later, many students who were attending college during 1970 and experienced that revival report that the revival made a lasting impact on them and set a positive direction for the rest of their lives.
Sources
A Revival Account: Asbury 1970 Video Dr. Dennis F. Kinlaw
Spontaneous Revivals by Robert J. Kanary
Halls Aflame by Henry C. James and Paul Rader
One Divine Moment Edited by Robert E. Coleman
Understanding Revival by Mathew Backholer
Asbury University University Website
The Forerunner by Jay Rogers
The Ten Greatest Revivals Ever by Elmer Towns
Heart-Cry for Revival Video by Sammy Tippit Ministries
Asbury College Revival 1970 Video by KCFonline South Meridian Church of God Church website
Return to List of Revival Stories
Chet & Phyllis Swearingen:
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