1995 – Brownsville Revival
The revival took place at the Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola, Florida
Multiple Names
As with most revivals, this one had several names it was known by:
- The Brownsville Revival
- The Brownsville Outpouring
- The Pensacola Outpouring
- The Father’s Day Outpouring
Crowds lining up outside the church
Not the Typical Revival
The Brownsville Revival stands out from many other revivals, and it has even been said to have been
the largest local church revival in the history of America.
That comment was made by Vinson Synan, a leading Pentecostal historian and the Dean of the Regent University School of Divinity. Concerning the Brownsville Revival, Synan said that
its emphasis on conversion and people weeping over conviction of sin, seems to be a revival in the long tradition of American native revivals dating back to the preaching of Jonathan Edwards. There’s heavy preaching on sin, repentance, conversion, and holiness. And there’s a lot more weeping and wailing over sin than there are the so-called exotic manifestations.
Revival Foretold
Several notable prophecies foretold of a revival that would visit the Pensacola area:
►1992— David Yonggi Cho prophesied:
I am going to send revival to the seaside city of Pensacola, and it will spread like a fire until all of America has been consumed by it.
► 1989—Michial Ratliff prophesied of something similar.
► 1979— Ken Sumrall, founder of Liberty Fellowship, prophesied of a revival that was to come to Pensacola.
Extraordinary Prayer
Every notable revival has always been preceded by extraordinary prayer. The Brownsville Revival was no different.
John Kilpatrick
By August of 1992, John Kilpatrick, the senior pastor of the Brownsville Assembly of God, hungry for revival, decided to set aside the traditional use of Sunday evening services, and used that time to focus specifically on prayer. This led to the concept of a banner ministry to help provide focus for the Sunday evening prayers. The banners that were used had the themes of:
► Spiritual Warfare
► Revival
► Souls
► Families / Homes
► The USA / National Leaders / Armed Forces
► Healing
► Pastors
► Schools
► Ministries
► The Peace of Jerusalem
► Children
► Catastrophic Events
With the presence of God being manifested during the Sunday night prayer meetings, the attendance increased over 20 percent.
After the revival commenced, an Intercessory Prayer Team was started to undergird each service with focused prayer. This prayer team’s ministry, joined with the weekly intercessory prayer meeting, enabled the revival to be sustained for over five years.
John Kilpatrick
Revivals Spark Revivals
It is common to find a thread of influence that leads from one revival to another, with preceding ones creating the spark for those that follow. The Brownsville Revival has links that go back to Holy Trinity Church in Brompton, England, to the 1994 Toronto Blessing, and even as far back as the 1984 Argentine Revival.
One individual that linked these revivals to Brownsville was the missionary evangelist, Steve Hill, who had served in Argentina, Europe, and Russia, and who had, prior to the Brownsville Revival, made a visit to Holy Trinity Church in Brompton, England, which had been “infected” by the revival in Toronto. It was there in England that Hill received a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit. Following that he was invited to preach at the Brownsville Assembly of God during the evening service on Father’s Day, June 18, 1995. That is the day the revival is said to have had its start.
What Happened
Though Steve Hill had been invited to speak only during the evening service on Father’s Day, June 18, 1995, the senior pastor, John Kilpatrick, who had been deeply mourning the May 7th death of his mother, and being physically and spiritually drained, asked Hill to preach in the morning service as well.
Evangelist Steve Hill, preaching at Brownsville Assembly of God
At the end of the sermon that morning, Hill invited the congregation to come forward for prayer, and a thousand people streamed forward. It was at this time that Kilpatrick was overcome by the presence of God and was dramatically impacted by that presence for four days.
The morning service at Brownsville typically finished at noon, but on this day it lasted till 4 pm. The evening service continued for another five and a half hours. With the Holy Spirit providing evidence of a genuine revival in progress, Hill was asked to stay on and preach during the nightly services. He then cancelled all his other preaching engagements, and even relocated his family to live in Pensacola.
Concerning the revival, John Kilpatrick reported:
Corporate businessmen in expensive suits kneel and weep uncontrollably as they repent of secret sins. Drug addicts and prostitutes fall to the floor on their faces beside them, to lie prostrate before God as they confess Jesus as Lord for the first time in their lives. Reserved elderly women and weary young mothers dance unashamedly before the Lord with joy. They have been forgiven. Young children see incredible visions of Jesus, their faces a picture of divine delight framed by slender arms raised heavenward.
The Brownsville Assembly of God was suddenly overwhelmed with an influx of visitors. To accommodate the growing crowds, the congregation commenced four evening services (Wed. – Sat.) and one Sunday morning service, with a Tuesday evening prayer meeting. Tuesday afternoons involved a teaching session for church leaders and workers.
Revival Music
Like what takes place in most revivals, new and fresh songs were produced. Lindell Cooley, the worship leader at Brownsville, produced about a dozen albums, highlighting much of the music sung during the revival.
Teen singer Charity James, as a member of the Brownsville church’s worship team, nightly sang the highly anointed song “Mercy Seat” which was influential in drawing tens of thousands to the altar for salvation.
Worship Leader – Lindell Cooley
Baptismal Testimonies
Due to thousands of testimonies given during the revival, many more were inspired to seek Christ for salvation. These testimonies continue to inspire today as they are watched on YouTube.
Results of the Revival
► It exalted Jesus as the only Savior!
► Nearly 200,000 people gave their lives to Jesus.
► At its height, the revival drew 5,500 people per night for 6 years. Estimates put the total between 2.5 million and 4.5 million, with people attending from 150 different nations.
► Tens of thousands had their faith renewed.
► Marriages were restored.
► Addictions were broken.
► Homosexuality / Lesbianism were renounced.
► Many demons were cast out of people, with ten deliverance prayer teams having been assembled.
► Services were conducted from Tuesday through Saturday. Some even waited in the church parking lot before dawn for a chance to enter the packed sanctuary, some even camping overnight waiting for the doors to open.
► Many thousands testified of physical healings.
► “Awake America” was the revival leaders’ effort to spread revival throughout the United States, as the team of leaders traveled to several cities to conduct two-night rallies in similar meetings (Anaheim, CA; Dallas, TX; Memphis, TN; St. Louis, MO; Lake Charles, LA; Toledo, OH; and Birmingham, AL).
► In 1997, the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry opened with 125 members. By the fall of 2000, there were more than 1,000 enrolled. Students from this school have been sent to do missionary work in 122 nations.
► Thousands of pastors were trained.
► Thousands of pastors visited Brownsville and returned to their homes refreshed and renewed. This renewal then led to the outbreak of mini-revivals. The Smithton Outpouring was one such revival. It took place after the pastor, Steve Gray, visited the Brownsville Revival in 1996.
► The Assembly of God denomination, which was suffering a decline, pulled out of its slump and began to report increases in conversions, baptisms, and missions giving, which reached an all-time high ($117 million).
Ending of the Revival
The revival began to wind down in 2000 when Steve Hill moved on to pursue other ministry opportunities. In 2001 there was a split which occurred between the leadership of the Brownsville church and the leadership of the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry. This split was a turning point, bringing the end to the revival. The separation led to the creation of The F.I.R.E. School of Ministry (Fellowship for International Revival and Evangelism), being led by the former leader of the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry, Michael L. Brown.
Senior Pastor John Kilpatrick and worship leader Lindell Cooley left the church in 2003. Until 2006, the church continued to hold special Friday night services that were a continuation of the revival.
Sources
► Baptisms at Brownsville
► Brownsville Revival by Wikipedia
► Brownsville Revival Tears of Joy by Robert Perla
► Charisma Reports – Brownsville: An objective, in-depth look at what the Holy Spirit is doing around the world by Charisma Magazine
► Honoring Our Past; webpage of Brownsville Church
► Portal in Pensacola: The Real Thing Hits Brownsville by Renee DeLoriea
► The Pursuit of Revival: Igniting a Passionate Hunger for More of God by Stephen Hill
► The Fire that Never Sleeps by Michael L. Brown and John Kilpatrick
► The Rising Revival by Peter C. Wagner
► Revival in Brownsville by Steve Rabey
► Spiritual Avalanche by Steve Hill
► When the Heavens are Brass by John Kilpatrick
► What Happened to Brownsville’s Fire? by CBN
Video
► Brownsville Revival Part 1
► Brownsville Revival Part 2
► Brownsville Revival Part 3
► Brownsville Revival Part 4
Return to List of Revival Stories
Chet & Phyllis Swearingen
(260) 920-8248
romans1015@outlook.com
Beautiful Feet
P.O. Box 915
Auburn, IN 46706
