Introduction
The 1969 Northeast Indiana Revival was part of several much larger movements that had engulfed the USA during the middle of the 20th century. Beginning in 1960, the nation experienced the following revival / renewal movements:
► 1960 Charismatic Movement
► 1967 Catholic Charismatic Renewal
► 1967 Jesus Movement
These movements brought tremendous upheaval in Roman Catholic and Mainline Protestant Churches, as well as in sleeping Pentecostal churches. The Pentecostal doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, with the accompanying gifts of the Holy Spirit, came to the forefront. Every congregation dealt with this doctrine in a new way, and it resulted in the start-up of thousands of new churches, as well as hundreds of new fellowships of churches (small independent denominations) across the nation.
This revival account shows events that occurred in Northeast Indiana through the lives of several prominent individuals whose contribution made an impact on hundreds of thousands of lives, both in the USA and around the world.
Gilbert Dilley (1964)
Gilbert Dilley
In the mid-1960s, Gilbert Dilley, a resident of northeast Indiana, had been attending Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. A co-student of his was Harley Fiddler, a Methodist minister from Zanesville, Ohio.
At Asbury, Fiddler had gathered many students to hold Bible studies, teaching those interested about the baptism in the Holy Spirit. At the time Dilley was not yet ready to embrace that teaching.
After Dilley’s graduation from Asbury in 1964, he was first assigned to pastor a church in Pennville, IN. In the fall of 1967 he was transferred to northeast Indiana and was assigned to pastor two Methodist churches simultaneously:
► Robinson United Methodist Chapel, 12707 Tonkel Rd., Fort Wayne, IN
► Wesley United Methodist Chapel, 13733 Wesley Chapel Rd., Churubusco, IN
In 1968, Gilbert Dilley, while pastoring the Indiana churches, invited evangelist Tom Murphy to come and conduct a series of revival services for the congregation. It was through Murphy’s ministry that the congregation and Dilley began to open up and be receptive to teachings on the Holy Spirit and the manifestations of His power in the lives of believers today.
Jim Clark, one of the lay leaders at the Churubusco church at that time, said,
There were Sunday School lessons on the Holy Spirit, but nobody knew how to teach them.
Revival Among the Youth
According to Jim and Ginny Clark, members of the Wesley UMC Chapel in Churubusco at that time, it was at the Robinson Chapel in Fort Wayne where the revival got its start, and it happened among the youth.
Sharon Gloyd (Hoot)
It was in January of 1969 that Ron Hoot’s girlfriend, Sharon, now his wife of 51 years (as of June 2023), led him to place his faith in Christ for his salvation. Sharon then encouraged Dilley, the pastor of Robinson Chapel, to have an altar call, and when he did, Hoot went forward to make a public profession of his faith in Christ. When he was praying at the altar at that time, a man named John Reynolds kneeled down and prayed with him—in tongues—something Hoot was unfamiliar with at the time.
Youth Retreat
In August 1969, John Reynolds invited 6 teens from Robinson Chapel to a retreat at Epworth Forest Retreat Conference Center. For speakers at the retreat, Reynolds invited two missionaries to come and share with the youth about what God was doing on the mission field, and a lot of what was shared was about the power of the Holy Spirit.
After sharing, the missionaries said to go to the chapel at the retreat center and that they would pray with them to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and doing this, these youth received and began experiencing manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Ron Hoot (1969)
Revival at Carroll High School
The 17-year-old Carroll High School senior, Ron Hoot, was not on that August retreat, as his parents did not agree with what was going to be discussed. On October 3, 1969, Hoot was at Robinson Chapel speaking with Gilbert Dilley, seeking counsel on the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Dilley had not as yet received that enduement of power himself, so he had limited counsel to give him. It was then that a teacher from Carroll High School stopped by, and he knew what to do.
This teacher told Dilley to get some oil. Dilley then went to the parsonage and got a cup full of Crisco vegetable oil. That entire cup was then poured out on Hoot’s head, and from that moment on he was filled with the Holy Spirit and his life radically changed.
On Hoot’s drive home he began speaking just a few words in tongues. That evening, while at John Reynolds’ house, while praying for others, Hoot began to pray in tongues fluently.
Revival at Carroll High School
With the teens from Robinson Chapel being set on fire by the Holy Spirit, they were witnessing freely, with dozens of students at Carroll High School getting saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, and experiencing the accompanying manifestations of the Spirit: prophecy, words of knowledge, tongues, etc.
The revival created an upheaval among the student body and faculty, and it led to a few negative consequences:
1. The committal of Ron Hoot to a mental hospital for two weeks (elaborated on below).
2. Students following Jesus refused to go to Sex Education classes and were directed instead to the library, where they read their Bibles – causing further upheaval.
3. The superintendent of the school, along with the guidance counselor, held a convocation, or an assembly of the student body, to address the revival, and attempt to bring it to an end. Their effort to quench the emotions attached to the revival was to oppose the Gospel message that the teens were freely sharing, and they stated at the assembly that “no one is going to hell.”
4. The teacher who had initially prayed for Hoot to receive the Holy Spirit baptism came under scrutiny, and a couple years later lost his job due to his involvement with the revival.
Two Week Committal to Mental Hospital
With most United Methodist churches described as having a form of godliness, and denying a personal relationship with Jesus, as well as ignoring the third person of the Trinity (the Holy Spirit)–the mother of Ron Hoot assumed her son was mentally ill when he began:
► Reading his Bible all the time.
► Praying frequently, as well as in an unlearned language (tongues).
► Praying for people’s healing.
Hoot’s mother, assuming her son was having a mental breakdown, went to the school in November of 1969 and talked with the guidance counselor. It was then, while he was taking a test in Government class, Hoot was paged over the intercom system, telling him to come to the guidance counselor’s office. Upon his arrival in the office he saw his mother, who, with the guidance counselor, decided that Hoot should go to Fort Wayne’s St. Joseph Hospital “psych ward,” where he spent two weeks.
God turned this religious persecution around for good, however, because while in the hospital Hoot prayed for and witnessed to others, including his psychologist, and eventually his mother and other family members got saved (the parents later regretted what they did).
Prior to leaving the hospital, Hoot asked the psychologist what his diagnosis was, and he said:
There’s nothing wrong with you, you’re just over religious.
Harald Bredesen speaking at London’s Royal Albert Hall,
backed by Al Malachuk, Pat Robertson, Oral Roberts,
Demos Shakarian, Ray Barnett, and Dan Malachuk
The FGBMFI Connection
John Reynolds, the congregational member at the Robinson Chapel who lit the spark in the youth, was highly involved with the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International. Reynolds invited the Dilleys to attend area FGBMFI meetings with him. At one of the meetings, Lutheran minister Harald Bredesen was the main speaker. Bredesen, who has been referred to by some as “The Father of the Charismatic Movement,” and author of popular charismatic books, like Yes, Lord, and Need a Miracle?, powerfully impacted the Dilleys during that meeting.
Following the meeting Dilley frequently invited speakers from the FGBMFI to come and preach at his churches on Sunday mornings.
It was in October 1969 when Dilley fully embraced the Pentecostal doctrine, and he felt he had to go to Zanesville, Ohio, and meet with his former Asbury co-student, Harley Fiddler. During his visit with Fiddler, Dilley did receive that baptism of power, and from there the fires of revival began to spread even more throughout northeast Indiana.
Gilbert & Karon Dilley (1970)
The Fire Spread
Upon Dilley’s return from his visit to Zanesville, Ohio, he began to regularly teach on the Holy Spirit baptism, and people began receiving. He also became a speaker at area meetings of the FGBMFI.
The news of what was occurring at his churches spread rapidly, and soon their Sunday morning, evening, as well as Wednesday night services at the Churubusco church were packed, with attendance tripling. In addition to the church services, the Dilleys regularly had evening meetings in their home.
Harley Fiddler at Churubusco Chapel
In December of 1969, Dilley invited Harley Fiddler to come and conduct a series of nightly meetings at the Churubusco church.
The presence and power of God was a unifying influence at the Churubusco Chapel. The congregation became like a sponge, earnestly soaking up what God had for them. Many from the congregation attended the FGBMFI meetings in the Fort Wayne area, as they saw the Lord’s power being released, bringing salvation and deliverance to many.
Accusation of Hypnosis
The town of Churubusco was saturated with the news of what was occurring at the Wesley United Methodist Chapel, and that news was viewed by some as being extreme. Ginny Clark, a member of that congregation, during a doctor’s appointment, was asked by her doctor:
Have you been hypnotized by the hypnotist at your church?
Skeptical comments like this are common during times of revival and should be expected.
Concordia Seminary in Fort Wayne
The Lutheran Concordia Seminary also had ministerial students involved in the revival. Some of these students would be found at the Dilleys’ home in the evenings, praying and seeking the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Through these students the revival fire touched that seminary.
Unquenchable Longing for More of God
The passion and hunger for more of God was so intense among the youth that during one two-month period, teens were found at the Dilleys’ home every night, praying, worshipping, and studying the Bible. Conversions to Christ became very common, as were those who were being baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Dennis & Carol Kutzner
Dennis & Carol Kutzner were part of the highly effective Lay Witness Mission with the United Methodist Church. This was a group of young people who would visit different churches over a weekend, singing and sharing their testimonies. With most of these young people being baptized in the Holy Spirit, they were highly evangelistic.
The Kutzners’ first encounter with Gilbert Dilley was at the Wesley United Methodist Chapel in Churubusco while they were participating on the Lay Witness Mission. Sometime later, after Dennis and Carol had been married three months, they made a visit to the Dilleys’ home on October 31, 1970 (Halloween).
They had only been in the Dilleys’ home for a short time, and after a brief conversation, Gilbert turned to Carol and said:
I think you are ready to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Gilbert then sat Carol on a chair and laid hands on her and said, “receive the Holy Spirit,” and she began speaking in tongues immediately.
She hadn’t been speaking in tongues for more than 25-30 seconds when Dennis literally pushed her off the chair and said, “Get up, I want this.”
Dennis then took the seat and immediately the Holy Spirit came upon him, and from his report, he said:
My legs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds, and I couldn’t lift my arms. I couldn’t talk anymore, and I started speaking in tongues, and continued for 45 minutes.
Kutzner was pastoring the Zion United Methodist Church in Hamilton, Indiana, at this time, and Dilley advised him:
Tomorrow (Sunday), when you go to church (to preach), don’t say anything. Just let the Holy Spirit work through this.
Being a young minister of 20 years old, Kutzner viewed Dilley as a spiritual giant, and he thought:
“You’re Gilbert Dilley. I’ll do anything you say.”
The next morning at church a man was present who was recently injured in a farming accident. With him limping into the building, the injury was obvious to all. After the service started, Kutzner asked the congregation from the pulpit:
How many believe God can heal him?
The man then limped his way to the front, and after Kutzner prayed for him, he returned to his seat without limping, and the next week he claimed that he had no pain nor any indication that there had ever been an injury.
Healing Leads to Revival Services
As a result of that healing miracle, Kutzner invited Gilbert Dilley to preach every night at his church for 11 days during the month of December 1970. The church was full during each of the 11 days of the scheduled services, with amazing things happening:
► Salvations
► Deliverance from addictions
► Marriages healed
► Baptisms in the Holy Spirit
Numerous Bible Studies in the Region
Home Bible studies were very common at the time, and from 1970-1974, the Kutzners were at a Bible study almost every night in somebody’s home.
During the following years, Kutzner went on to pastor several churches, became the Executive Director of Calvary Ministry International, and ultimately CMI’s General Overseer.
Recording the Springs of Living Water Radio Program with Gilbert Dilley (Jim Clark on right)
Steve Houser
When Butler, Indiana, resident, Steve Houser, heard that Gilbert Dilley was to hold revival services at the Zion United Methodist Church in Hamilton, Indiana, in December 1970, he intentionally went with the express purpose of receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and that purpose was fulfilled!
Houser’s evangelistic passion has become renowned, and he was used powerfully at the Butler, Indiana, factory where he worked in the early 1970s (Commercial Shearing and Stamping Company). One of the men who accepted Christ through Houser’s efforts at that factory was Ralph Diehl, who within several years became the founder and 43-year pastor of a prominent church in DeKalb County, New Hope Christian Center in Waterloo, Indiana.
Houser went on to pastor two churches, led a highly successful bus ministry, and was a chaplain at a juvenile detention center in Marion, Indiana, wherein many young people gave their lives to Christ.
Ralph Diehl
Ralph Diehl
Ralph Diehl, who made the decision to follow Jesus in April 1971, went to Steve Houser’s home on January 18, 1972, after they both finished their 2nd shift at Commercial Shearing (11:30 p.m.).
Houser had invited Rev. Dennis Kutzner to join them in prayer at his home, and on this night, Houser, Kutzner, and another man laid their hands on Diehl, prayed for him, and he received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. This was an exceptional moment in Diehl’s life, an experience which convinced him that God was real.
Revival at Commercial Shearing
The revival at the Zion UMC overflowed into the Butler, Indiana, factory, Commercial Shearing. With the many converts at Commercial Shearing being hungry for more of God, a Bible study was held on the premises to disciple the new converts.
Steve Houser, Ralph Diehl, Pastor Dennis Kutzner, and others, would frequently meet at Houser’s home for prayer and worship after the 2nd shift finished at Commercial Shearing. These prayer meetings would often continue for 2-3 hours. At times they would meet at the Butler, Indiana, Evangelical United Brethren Church. They chose the EUB church, as it was the only church in town that wasn’t locked that late at night.
As more and more were converted at Commercial Shearing, the number of people wanting to attend after-work prayer meetings grew so large that Houser’s home could no longer accommodate them all. This led to simultaneous prayer meetings being held in several Butler homes at the same time.
As the movement at Commercial Shearing continued, there were eventually more followers of Jesus at that factory than were not.
Dr. Floyd & Eva Coleman
Dr. Floyd & Eva Coleman
Pastor Dennis Kutzner held Saturday evening Bible studies at his parents’ home in Waterloo, Indiana, (in addition to two others during the week). On one Saturday in March 1971, Kutzner’s mother invited a renowned doctor and his wife from DeKalb County, Indiana, to that Bible study. This was Dr. Coleman, commonly referred to as “Doc Coleman.” Being joined by his wife, Eva, this couple were especially hungry for all God had for them, and on this evening the Colemans expressed their interest in receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Kutzner and others present in that home then laid their hands on them and they both received the Holy Spirit’s baptism.
This work of grace not only changed this man and wife, but also their entire household and the church they attended.
Anita Coleman
Anita Coleman and the Helmer UMC Revival
Anita Coleman, daughter of “Doc Coleman,” was a junior in high school in March of 1972, and hearing of Gilbert Dilley holding revival meetings at the Helmer United Methodist Church in Helmer, Indiana, Anita went there. During the meeting she was deeply impacted by the “life she felt there,” and when an invitation was made to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, she went forward, with her siblings following her.
Anita described the atmosphere during that era, with people going from meeting to meeting, and one home Bible study after another, being “sponges,” soaking up all they could learn about this new life. This led Anita, and others like her, to look for opportunities to share their faith with others.
Anita Coleman went on to marry Ralph Diehl, the founding pastor of New Hope Christian Center in Waterloo, Indiana.
Opposition to Revival
Every revival throughout history has had its opponents, and this one was no different. One example of opposition was a pastor of an Ashley, Indiana, church, who warned his congregation, in the church bulletin, not to attend the revival services at the Helmer UMC.
That opposing pastor, not long after, fell away from his faith in Christ and the church closed. Was that a coincidence? Was that a judgment of God? Regardless, we can thank God for His mercy, because after a long period of time that pastor did return to Christ prior to his death.
Results of the Revival
► Many were born again.
► There was an openness to the doctrine of and operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
► Many cold and indifferent believers came back to Christ.
► Physical healings.
► Deliverances from demon possession.
► Marriages were restored.
► Many received callings to enter fulltime in Christian ministry as ministers and missionaries.
► All of northeast Indiana was powerfully impacted through this revival. It wasn’t limited to a mere few churches or individuals.
► Some participants in this revival went on to start churches and become highly influential leaders in churches and organizations throughout the region over the next 50+ years.
Sources
► A Handbook on Holy Spirit Baptism by Don Basham
► Email testimony by Anita Diehl (May 30, 2023)
► Email testimony by Carl Dilley (June 23, 2023)
► Harald Bredesen by Wikipedia
► Harald Bredesen and the Charismatic Renewal by Grace World Mission
► Harald Bredesen – How to Receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Share it with Others by jedipastor
► If Someone Tried to Convince Me that God was not Real by Ralph Diehl (self-published)
► Need a Miracle? by Harald Bredesen
► New Wine Magazine by Charles Simpson Ministries
► Personal interview with Karon Dilley (May 17, 2023)
► Personal interview with Jim & Ginny Clark (June 12, 2023)
► Personal interview with Rev. Dennis & Carol Kutzner (June 8, 2023)
► Personal interview with Rev. Steve Houser (June 2, 2023)
► Personal interview with Pastor Ralph Diehl (July 6, 2023)
► Phone interview with Ron & Sharon Hoot (June 18 & July 12, 2023)
► They Speak with Other Tongues by John Sherrill
► Yes, Lord by Harald Bredesen
Return to List of Revival Stories
Chet & Phyllis Swearingen:
Office: (260) 920-8248
romans1015@outlook.com
Beautiful Feet
P.O. Box 915
Auburn, IN 46706
