How the Asbury Outpouring changed our church for good

It’s one year since an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Kentucky caught the world’s attention. Many church leaders from around the world travelled to Asbury University and ‘natural sceptic’ Al Gordon was among them. He tells the story of what God did, how it changed his life and why he believes revival is not just possible, but imperative

On 8 February 2023, a university chapel service in Asbury, Kentucky, closed with a simple prayer: “Jesus, do a new thing in our midst, revive us by your love.” The meeting appeared to end unremarkably. Most of the few hundred students who had attended the mandatory service drifted back to their dorms and classrooms. But 19 young people remained, continuing to pray. They lingered, waiting and worshipping. And then heaven seemed to break open. Over the course of the next hour, the vast space of the Hughes Auditorium became infused with a deep, tangible sense of the presence of God.