Introduction
This revival got its start on January 22, 1995 at Coggin Avenue Baptist Church. Other notable revivals commenced shortly after the start of this one (Toronto, Columbia, Brownsville and Mexico).
This revival account shows how a revival can begin with one spark, and from there spread through a region, nation, and even the entire world.
The 1995 Brownwood Revival spread across the nation, covering a lot of area geographically, with its impact having been felt in over 100 colleges, universities, and seminaries, as well as in an untold number of churches.
We encourage you to review the 1970 Asbury College Revival, as there were similarities between that revival and the one discussed in this account.
Preparation for Revival at Coggin Avenue Baptist Church
To prepare the congregation for revival, Henry Blackaby’s materials, titled Experiencing God were used. There were 300 people from Coggin Avenue Baptist Church who went through that course of study.
To further prepare the congregation, the regular Sunday evening services were canceled, and instead, those who assembled on Sunday nights, went through Blackaby’s Fresh Encounter materials.
Extraordinary Prayer
Pastor John Avant, of Coggin Avenue Baptist Church, reported that the events that transpired were preceded by seven weeks of increased fervency in prayer.
Avant also mentions the unity that was developed among Brownwood, Texas, churches, as pastors from churches in that area united in prayer (Nazarenes, Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostals, Church of Christ, and Assembly of God).
So the increased level of prayer, combined with heart preparation using the Blackaby courses, enhanced the level of expectancy among church members.
Coggin Avenue Baptist Church in Brownwood, Texas
What Happened
At the end of the early service on January 22, 1995, with about 30 students present from the nearby Howard Payne University, a student leader on the campus, Chris Robeson, came forward and asked the pastor, John Avant, if he could say something.
Hesitatingly, Avant allowed Robeson to address those assembled, and after reading Joel 2:12, he began praying through tears, publicly confessing his sins of complacency and apathy.
That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. – Joel 2:12
As Robeson began to pray through his weeping, people began to stream down the aisles.
A woman followed Robeson to the microphone, making it clear that their church
was not a praying church and that we need to begin to pray and seek God diligently.
Following her, people began coming to the microphone spontaneously, sharing from their hearts, as well as from the Scriptures. The altar was lined with people kneeling, and many with their faces to the ground.
Avant gave permission for the people to leave and go to their Sunday School classes, or to remain at the altar and pray. Most stayed and prayed.
This prayer continued through the time normally given for the Sunday School, between the two morning services. As people continued with prayer and sharing, interspersed with worship songs, people would come to the altar, broken due to their sins.
Just prior to 11:00 a.m., a woman indicated that she had to leave, to go and play the piano for another church. Before she left, the congregation prayed that the revival fires that they were experiencing would accompany her.
When people began arriving for the second morning service, at 11 a.m., they sensed God’s power and presence, and most of them spontaneously went directly to the altar, and knelt in prayer, joining with others already gathered there.
An invitation to turn to Christ was given on this morning, and 22 people were saved or made a commitment to ministry.
At this time the congregation was also praying for revival to break out at other churches, and their prayers were answered when the report came back in the following weeks, that other churches in the area also experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on that morning:
► Rocky Creek Baptist Church of Brownwood, Texas, reported that on that morning there were people streaming to the altar spontaneously, praying and weeping in repentance.
► First Baptist of Santa Anna, Texas, had 21 saved during their morning service.
► The pastor at Trinity Chapel was said to be overwhelmed with joy when he saw revival breaking out at his church.
► At the Assembly of God church, the pastor stopped in the middle of his sermon and said they were supposed to immediately come to the altar and begin to pray for churches in the area to experience revival.
► Alamo City Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas, began a week of prayer and fasting, beginning on Saturday, January 21, and the prayer was specifically for revival.
► The chaplain at the Texas Department of Corrections drug treatment center, reported that 16 were recently baptized and 25 more are seeking Christ.
► Other churches outside the area also reported having incredible services on that morning, like Fielder Road Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas.
Pastor John Avant
Sunday Evening, January 22, 1995
During the Sunday evening service at the Coggin Avenue Baptist Church, there were 16 people baptized, and 2 more were saved due to the sharing of others who experienced revival that morning.
This spark led to Coggin Avenue Baptist Church having extended services during the following weeks, often lasting 3.5 hours, as students and other members of the congregation lined up to confess their sins publicly.
Steps to the Spreading Revival
Some of the faculty, administrators, and students at the nearby Howard Payne University were a part of Coggin Avenue Baptist Church. Knowing that the fires of revival are often carried by individuals that have been part of one, it was only to be expected that Howard Payne would also begin to experience a revival of its own.
Extraordinary prayer had already been occurring on the campus of Howard Payne. Students, in groups of two or three, were often seen praying together at any location. Student-led prayer meetings were taking place in the dorms for early morning prayer, as well as late at night.
The link between Coggin Avenue Baptist Church and Howard Payne helped set things in motion for the revival that spread to that campus. More about that revival account can be read here: 1995 Howard Payne Revival.
Results of the Revival at Coggin Avenue Baptist Church
► There were twenty-two that were either saved or called into ministry during an invitation given on January 22.
► Others were coming to Christ regularly during the following weeks.
► Prayer-lives were being reinvigorated.
► Marriages were restored.
► There was a revival of sorts among the students at the local junior and senior high schools, with both groups regularly meeting to pray for their lost friends. The senior high students were skipping lunch to pray as a group. One student commented:
All anyone can talk about at lunch is Jesus.
There was such an awareness of God at this school that students are coming to the believers, asking them how to be saved. This led to a motto being developed among those students, which was:
God’s going to rock the world, and it’s starting in Brownwood, Texas.
The revival that commenced that morning at Coggin Avenue Baptist Church was just the start of a wide-sweeping revival that spread to over 100 colleges, universities, and seminaries, as well as an untold number of churches.
This image shows a little over 50, out of the 100+ schools impacted by this revival (right click image to see larger view).
Read more about how the revival spread with the following accounts:
► Howard Payne University Revival
► Wheaton University Revival
Primary Sources
► Accounts of a Campus Revival: Wheaton College 1995 by Timothy Beougher
► Revival by John Avant
► Revival Revived by John Avant
Secondary Sources
► A History of the Worldwide Awakening of 1992-1995 by Richard Riss
► Campus Revival by David Briggs in the Spokesman-Review
► Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby and Claude King
► Fresh Encounter by Henry Blackaby and Claude King
Return to List of Revival Stories
Chet & Phyllis Swearingen
(260) 920-8248
romans1015@outlook.com
Beautiful Feet
P.O. Box 915
Auburn, IN 46706
