Gen Z’s first revival? What really happened at Asbury University

An estimated 50,000 people descended on the tiny town of Wilmore, Kentucky as spontanteous 24-7 prayer and worship broke out on a university campus. Tim Wyatt reports

It all started at an ordinary Wednesday chapel service in February, at a tiny Christian college in Kentucky called Asbury University. After the usual service ended, a small number of students decided to carry on praying and worshipping. And they didn’t stop. Gradually, more and more students joined them in what would become an endless stream of singing and praying, confessing and communing, sensing something of the Holy Spirit present with them. 

As word of what was now being called the Asbury Revival began to spread, Christians started arriving to see what was going on in the Hughes Auditorium. First, it was just locals from the nearby town of Wilmore. But, by day four, the media had picked up on the extraordinary scenes and people begin arriving from further afield. Videos went viral on social media and the steady flow of visitors turned into a torrent.