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A few examples:
PERTH, AUSTRALIA
Good Friday, April 3, 2026. Australia’s Largest Mass Baptisms.
Good Friday Mass Baptisms in Perth and Melbourne Make History.
by Rod Lampard
Over 1,500 Australians broke with their past in two mass baptisms on Good Friday.
The two gatherings in Perth and Melbourne were unrelated and yet managed to make history.
In Melbourne, Global Harvest registered 750 genuine baptisms.
In Perth, Kingdom City Church (KC) recorded 1,000 redirecting their lives through participation in the life, death and resurrection of Christ.
Quoting founding Pastor Mark Varughese, KC wrote in a Facebook post that, “the scale of the baptism reflects a growing openness to faith and spirituality.”
“Baptism, in the evangelical Christian tradition, is a public declaration of an inward decision,” he explained.
“It symbolizes leaving behind the past and stepping into a new life—something that resonates with the universal human desire for renewal, hope, and purpose.”
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2,552 Baptized in one day on a Jacksonville Beach, Florida
May 2026
Back in May, 2026, The Church of Eleven22 baptized 2,552 people in the Atlantic, with more than 14,000 people on the sand cheering them on. That’s up from nearly 2,000 last year.
And the very last person baptized? One of the shuttle bus drivers who spent the day driving folks there. Only God could write that one.
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“Madagascar for Christ” concludes with 566 people baptized
September 5, 2026
The “Madagascar for Christ” campaign concluded with 566 people baptized on September 5. The outreach began with a four-day free health fair in Antananarivo, where around 600 medical volunteers served more than 9,000 patients. The health outreach was followed by eight days of evangelistic meetings at numerous locations, focusing on prophecy, salvation, hope and the return of Christ.
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170 People baptized in the sea in England after one social media post
September 5, 2026
What started with one Christian sharing an invitation online turned into an incredible day of baptisms on the coast of England.
Merlin Kraft, who runs the Christian channel BibleLadUK, says he’s not a pastor—just an ordinary follower of Jesus who wanted to share the Gospel.
After posting a baptism video, people began asking:
“Could I be baptized like that too?”
That question eventually led to 28 people being baptized at Jennycliff Beach. As photos and videos spread online, even more people wanted to take the same step.
So another invitation went out.
No tickets. No fees. No reservations. Just an invitation to follow Jesus.
On September 5, around 170 people were baptized in the sea at Bigbury-on-Sea in South Devon, while hundreds reportedly gathered along the shoreline.
Pastors from multiple churches helped with the baptisms, the Gospel was shared, more than 100 Bibles were distributed, and people were connected with local churches.
One woman reportedly came to the beach without any intention of being baptized. After receiving a Bible and reading it, she returned saying she wanted to give her life to Jesus and be baptized.
Kraft summed it up beautifully:
“I put the invitation online. God did the rest.”
Never underestimate what God can do through one person willing to share Jesus.
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” — Mark 16:15
*
Revival Rising: Nearly 900 Baptized at Texas Church in Latest Mass Baptism
Another U.S. church is reporting a massive baptism event as people are turning to Christ by the thousands across the country. From churches to college campuses, signs of a spiritual awakening are everywhere.
Last week we reported that Biltmore Church in North Carolina baptized 458 people, the largest single-day baptism in the church’s 137-year history.
Now, there’s another example, this time happening in Lakepointe Church in Texas, where 882 people chose to get baptized on September 27 as a declaration of their new life in Jesus Christ.
***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters to ensure you receive the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***
Senior Pastor Josh Howerton and Lakepointe shared a joint post about the exciting day on Instagram, saying, “There are few things more powerful than watching someone publicly say, ‘My life belongs to Jesus’.”
They pointed out that 882 isn’t just a number; it’s a representation of true transformation in people’s lives.
“That number is real people with real stories. People who have walked through addiction, broken relationships, doubt, loss, success that still left them empty, and still far from God. And now, they’re standing in the water saying JESUS has changed everything, and HE IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS. Never stop praying for one more to know Christ!”
WATCH the Baptisms Here:
One woman who was at the service shared, “It was SO AMAZING! We stayed because all the baptisms ran service over by almost an hour! Such an AMAZING thing to witness! 700 scheduled and 182 in service leaps of faith!!! ”
As CBN News has been reporting over the last several years, mass baptisms are becoming more and more prevalent in America and overseas as well, and these moments are being seen as a sign that a spiritual awakening is underway.
CBN News has produced a documentary on how the Lord is working in the lives of these students. It’s called “Revival Generation,” and you can stream it or order a DVD by clicking HERE.
Share This Article
Author: Benjamin Gill manages CBNNews.com and the CBN News app while also curating social media material
Share good news – Share this and any page freely Copy and share this link on your media, eg Facebook, Instagram, Emails: Renewal Journal – a chronicle of renewal and revival: www.renewaljournal.com
Revival reports continue in 2026. Here are some gathered from social media.
PERTH, AUSTRALIA
Good Friday, April 3, 2026. Australia’s Largest Mass Baptisms.
Good Friday Mass Baptisms in Perth and Melbourne Make History.
by Rod Lampard
Over 1,500 Australians broke with their past in two mass baptisms on Good Friday.
The two gatherings in Perth and Melbourne were unrelated and yet managed to make history.
In Melbourne, Global Harvest registered 750 genuine baptisms.
In Perth, Kingdom City Church (KC) recorded 1,000 redirecting their lives through participation in the life, death and resurrection of Christ.
Quoting founding Pastor Mark Varughese, KC wrote in a Facebook post that, “the scale of the baptism reflects a growing openness to faith and spirituality.”
“Baptism, in the evangelical Christian tradition, is a public declaration of an inward decision,” he explained.
“It symbolises leaving behind the past and stepping into a new life—something that resonates with the universal human desire for renewal, hope, and purpose.”
*
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
PNG April: This is what real awakening looks like.
Not hype. Not trends. Not noise. When people turn to Christ in numbers like this, it’s because something deeper is happening that the world can’t manufacture.
You don’t get movements like this from culture or politics. You get it when truth hits people where nothing else could. When hearts change, everything changes, and no system can compete with that.
While some places walk away from faith, others are running toward it. That alone should wake people up. Truth isn’t dying, it’s spreading where people are actually hungry for it.
This isn’t small. This is a reminder that God is still moving, still calling, still transforming lives on a scale no one can ignore.
What’s happening here doesn’t stay here. Movements like this ripple far beyond one nation.
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THAILAND
Thailand, April 2026: More than 14,000 lives changed because the name of Jesus was introduced where it had been absent. That alone shows how powerful the message is when it’s actually heard, not filtered, not diluted.
It’s easy to assume everyone already knows, but that’s not reality. There are still places where the name of Jesus isn’t familiar, and when it is spoken, it creates a response that can’t be ignored.
This isn’t about numbers for the sake of numbers. It’s about people encountering something they had never been exposed to before and choosing it when given the chance.
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ETHIOPIA
Easter, April 2026: Thousands step outside and make it clear who they stand for. That kind of unity does not happen unless the belief is real.
Easter is not just a tradition or a holiday. It is the foundation of everything Christians believe. When people come together like this, it shows that the message of Christ is still alive and still moving.
The world may try to push faith into the background, but moments like this prove it cannot be contained. When people truly believe, they do not stay silent.
A silent miracle is unfolding in Iran—one that defies all human logic.
In a country where owning a Bible is a crime and conversion can lead to the death penalty, the Christian Church is growing faster than in any other nation on earth. But how is that possible if there are no missionaries and churches are closed?
In this video, I share an extraordinary, documented phenomenon: the appearance of the “Man in White.”
Thousands of Muslims, in the silence of the night, are having the same recurring dream—one that is changing their lives forever. We will hear the testimonies of Miriam, rescued from despair, and of a secret police officer transformed by the Love of God, just like Saint Paul.
JOIN THE PRAYER
If this video touched you, leave a comment saying: “Your Light cannot be chained.” Let’s pray together for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Iran.
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April 2026. The woman who was sentenced to hang in Iran for becoming a Christian just wrote this week that the regime that put a death sentence on her head is now falling — and she says what’s coming next for Iran will be even more extraordinary than the military collapse.
Marziyeh Amirizadeh knows what Iran’s darkness looks like from the inside. In 2009, she and her fellow house church leader Maryam Rostampour were arrested in Tehran, thrown into the infamous Evin Prison, and sentenced to death by hanging for the “crime” of converting from Islam to Christianity. They had spent years before their arrest distributing 20,000 Bibles across Tehran because God had given Marziyeh a vision: Iran was like a desert with no seeds, and He told her to plant them and trust the Holy Spirit to grow them.
She planted them. She went to prison. She was sentenced to die. And now, writing just this week, she says the harvest is finally coming.
Since the 12-Day War of 2025 decimated Iran’s military, its nuclear capabilities, its terror proxies, and ultimately the regime itself — including the death of Supreme Leader Khamenei — Marziyeh has been watching what she believes is the direct fulfillment of biblical prophecy unfolding in real time. The Iranian rial has collapsed. Electricity is scarce. Water is running dry. Mosques that once enforced submission are closing by the thousands. And Iranians — the people her regime spent decades forcing to chant “death to America, death to Israel” — are publicly burning those same mosques and calling for the ayatollahs’ downfall.
“It’s begun,” she wrote on April 3, 2026. “The downfall of the Islamic Republic, the evil regime that hijacked the country of my birth 47 years ago.”
But she is clear that military victory alone is not enough. God told her years ago, in a vision while she was still inside Iran, that the weapon needed to truly lift the veil of darkness from the nation was not military — it was prayer. “To truly lift the veil of darkness from nearly half a century of this corrupt Islamic regime,” she wrote, “a spiritual weapon is needed as well.”
She has seen what Iranians are hungry for. When she and her friend moved through Tehran quietly offering the New Testament to ordinary people, person after person received it with gratitude. No one turned it away in disgust. Millions of Iranians, she says, have never truly chosen Islam. It was a chain — not a conviction.
“God has given me a vision of a Christian Iran,” she said simply.
She is now calling the global Church to pray — with the same urgency and faith of a woman who planted seeds in a desert prison and watched God keep every promise He made.
The seeds are still growing. The desert is ending. And she wants to make sure the Body of Christ is ready to move when the walls come down completely.
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UZBEKISTAN: The silent Silk Road revival
In the ancient cities of Uzbekistan, a quiet spiritual awakening is taking place, driven by personal encounters and a growing movement of indigenous house churches.
Bukhara was once the spiritual and intellectual heart of Islam along the Silk Road. Today, it is becoming a center for a different kind of movement. In a nation where Christians comprise less than one percent of the population, faith is spreading not through public campaigns, but through “living room diplomacy.” Behind closed doors, over traditional tea, a growing number of Uzbeks are sharing a startlingly consistent testimony: they are encountering Jesus through dreams and visions.
The power of the “night encounter”
For many in the Muslim world, a dream is considered a valid and profound form of divine communication. House church leaders in Uzbekistan report that these “night encounters” are often the primary catalyst for conversion.
Many believers describe seeing “nail marks” or hearing a direct call to “Come to me,” echoing the biblical accounts of the resurrected Christ. These dreams open the door for believers to explain the Gospel in a relational, non-confrontational setting. As families experience these encounters, they often invite neighbors and relatives, leading to the formation of small, indigenous house church networks.
From secrecy to legal standing
For decades, the Christian minority in Uzbekistan faced severe restrictions and stayed largely underground. However, recent political reforms have begun to alter the landscape. More churches have recently received official permission to meet, allowing for a more stable (though still cautious) public presence.
A new wave of young professionals and indigenous Central Asians are openly identifying as followers of Jesus, moving away from the “foreign religion” stigma. Because there are few formal seminaries or classrooms, leadership training happens through “living faith” – mentorship and shared life rather than certificates.
A faith that travels lightly
The church in Uzbekistan is characterized by its mobility and resilience. In the urban centers, it moves through apartment-based house churches. In the rugged countryside, believers often hike for miles through mountains to gather for worship and prayer. This decentralized structure has made the movement difficult to suppress and easy to adapt to local cultures and languages.
The return of the Gospel to the Silk Road
The same routes that once carried silk, spices, and philosophies across the continent are now witnessing a return of the Gospel. It is a revival without spotlights – fragile, hidden, and deeply personal. But as one leader noted, the movement is “unseen but real,” proving that even in the most restricted environments, the “whisper” of faith can eventually become a chorus.
In a nation still recovering from historical trauma, the story of a former Buddhist monk and gang member is becoming a symbol of hope for the emerging Cambodian church.
Khon Khan’s early life in Cambodia was defined by a desperate search for stability that repeatedly ended in tragedy. Growing up in a Buddhist family with ten siblings, his world collapsed when the family business failed and his mother took her own life.
Seeking an education and a way out of poverty, Khan entered a monastery to become a monk, only to leave disillusioned by abuse. With no resources and “no hope,” he drifted into a life of gambling and gang violence, convinced his story would end in a prison cell or a premature grave.
An unexpected invitation
Khan’s trajectory changed through a pragmatic decision: he enrolled in free English classes offered by Filipino missionaries from the Asian Center for Missions (ACM). Although the classes were held in a church – a “catch” he initially ignored – the requirement for students to repeat simple Gospel messages began to wear down his defenses. After five months of hearing and speaking the words “Jesus loves you,” the message shifted from a classroom exercise to a personal revelation.
A shepherd of the nation
The transformation that began in those English classes has had a nationwide impact. Today, Pastor Khon Khan is one of the most influential Christian leaders in Cambodia. He has been instrumental in planting 200 churches across all 24 provinces of the country.
Every Sunday, he oversees feeding programs in 25 different villages, specifically targeting children who face the same hunger and lack of protection he once knew. Khan founded a children’s home to provide a sanctuary for those with nowhere else to go, turning his past trauma into a motivation for protection.
From the streets to the cabinet
In a remarkable turn of events, Khan’s influence has reached the highest levels of the Cambodian government. He was appointed Undersecretary of State for the Ministry of Cults and Religions. In this role, the former “broken son” now serves as a legal protector for Christian communities, especially in remote areas where believers often face local persecution. His position allows him to ensure that the Gospel can be shared with greater freedom throughout the Kingdom.
A legacy of rescue
Looking back, Khan credits the persistence of the missionaries for his survival. “Without ACM, I might be dead – or in prison,” he admits. His life illustrates the “redemption of the hopeless,” proving that a former gangster can become a shepherd to an entire nation. For the Cambodian church, his story is a reminder that God often uses the most broken vessels to carry the most significant weight of leadership.
Source: Asian Center for Missions (ACM), Christian Aid Mission
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“Madagascar for Christ” concludes with 566 people baptized
September 5, 2026
The “Madagascar for Christ” campaign concluded with 566 people baptized on September 5. The outreach began with a four-day free health fair in Antananarivo, where around 600 medical volunteers served more than 9,000 patients. The health outreach was followed by eight days of evangelistic meetings at numerous locations, focusing on prophecy, salvation, hope and the return of Christ.
VENEZUELA
2026 Reports and social media coverage show Venezuelans gathering in public spaces, praying and worshipping Jesus while expressing hope during a time of major political change in the country. Many believers are sharing their faith openly in response to recent developments.
According to international reporting, some Christian communities have described these events as answered prayers, while also calling for peace, stability, and healing for the nation. Religious leaders continue to encourage unity and calm during this uncertain period.
These public expressions of faith reflect how deeply Christianity is rooted in Venezuelan society. For many, moments of crisis become moments of prayer, reflection, and renewed hope for a better and more peaceful future.
Source: International Christian Chronicle & religion news reports on Venezuela developments (2026)
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AMAZON, BRAZIL
Amazon 2025-2026: Reports are emerging of a revival taking place in parts of the Amazon, where large numbers of people are being baptized. The gatherings reflect a growing interest in faith and spiritual renewal within local communities.
According to accounts, thousands have participated in baptisms, marking personal decisions to follow a new spiritual path. These moments are often described as deeply meaningful for those involved.
Such events highlight how faith continues to spread in different regions of the world. Even in remote areas, people are coming together around shared beliefs and experiences.
Observers note that movements like this often grow through community connection. Local churches and leaders play a key role in guiding and supporting individuals through these decisions.
For many, these reports serve as a reminder of the ongoing presence of faith across cultures. They reflect how spiritual practices continue to influence lives in diverse environments.
On the day the video was taken the church baptized 243 people.
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UNITED KINGDOM
170 People baptized in the sea in England after one social media post
September 5, 2026
What started with one Christian sharing an invitation online turned into an incredible day of baptisms on the coast of England.
Merlin Kraft, who runs the Christian channel BibleLadUK, says he’s not a pastor—just an ordinary follower of Jesus who wanted to share the Gospel.
After posting a baptism video, people began asking:
“Could I be baptized like that too?”
That question eventually led to 28 people being baptized at Jennycliff Beach. As photos and videos spread online, even more people wanted to take the same step.
So another invitation went out.
No tickets. No fees. No reservations. Just an invitation to follow Jesus.
On September 5, around 170 people were baptized in the sea at Bigbury-on-Sea in South Devon, while hundreds reportedly gathered along the shoreline.
Pastors from multiple churches helped with the baptisms, the Gospel was shared, more than 100 Bibles were distributed, and people were connected with local churches.
One woman reportedly came to the beach without any intention of being baptized. After receiving a Bible and reading it, she returned saying she wanted to give her life to Jesus and be baptized.
Kraft summed it up beautifully:
“I put the invitation online. God did the rest.”
Never underestimate what God can do through one person willing to share Jesus.
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” — Mark 16:15
*
USA
For 40 days, one million believers united across Los Angeles to pray, fast, and share the Gospel through “Hope L.A.” Organizers believe this was a historic moment, coming 120 years after the Azusa Street Revival and 10 years after Azusa Now, with many praying for another spiritual awakening to impact California and the nation.
The movement culminated on April 11 at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum with worship, testimonies, baptisms, and prayer. Leaders say they believe “the harvest is ripe” and expected thousands of people to come to Christ, with teams reaching communities in English, Spanish, Korean, and many other languages
USA April 2026: New data shows a growing number of young men in the U.S. are turning to faith, with 42% saying religion is “very important” and 40% attending services at least once a month.
The shift marks a noticeable rise from previous years, suggesting a renewed interest in spirituality among men under 30.
The trend is being described by some as a sign of a broader spiritual revival taking shape.
April 2025. A major event took place at Clemson University in South Carolina.
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
Thousands of students gathered at Samford University for a UniteUS worship event on April 8, 2026, leading to spontaneous, mass baptisms on the campus football field that lasted until after midnight. The event in the Pete Hanna Center saw hundreds of students declare their faith, transforming the athletic field into a “holy ground” of spiritual revival.
Thousands of students gathered at Samford University for a powerful night of worship, where many were set free from unforgiveness, secret sin, and addiction. Baptisms continued until after midnight, as the event became another striking sign of spiritual hunger and renewed faith on college campuses.
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On April 28, 2026, over 5,500 Oklahoma State University (OSU) students gathered at Gallagher-Iba Arena for a UniteUS worship and outreach event, marking a major, recent spiritual revival. Hundreds of students came forward for prayer, with 54 baptized on-site in a movement described as a “spiritual awakening” among Gen Z.At Oklahoma State University, hundreds of students gathered and responded to a call of faith, moving forward in a moment of worship and commitment.
The scene shows students filling the front area, choosing to publicly dedicate their lives to Jesus during a large campus event.
Moments like this are drawing attention as more young people openly express their faith, pointing to a growing spiritual hunger on college campuses.
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2,552 Baptized in one day on a Jacksonville Beach, Florida
May 2026
Back in May, 2026, The Church of Eleven22 baptized 2,552 people in the Atlantic, with more than 14,000 people on the sand cheering them on. That’s up from nearly 2,000 last year.
And the very last person baptized? One of the shuttle bus drivers who spent the day driving folks there. Only God could write that one.
*
Revival Rising: Nearly 900 Baptized at Texas Church in Latest Mass Baptism
Another U.S. church is reporting a massive baptism event as people are turning to Christ by the thousands across the country. From churches to college campuses, signs of a spiritual awakening are everywhere.
Last week we reported that Biltmore Church in North Carolina baptized 458 people, the largest single-day baptism in the church’s 137-year history.
Now, there’s another example, this time happening in Lakepointe Church in Texas, where 882 people chose to get baptized on September 27 as a declaration of their new life in Jesus Christ.
***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters to ensure you receive the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***
Senior Pastor Josh Howerton and Lakepointe shared a joint post about the exciting day on Instagram, saying, “There are few things more powerful than watching someone publicly say, ‘My life belongs to Jesus’.”
They pointed out that 882 isn’t just a number; it’s a representation of true transformation in people’s lives.
“That number is real people with real stories. People who have walked through addiction, broken relationships, doubt, loss, success that still left them empty, and still far from God. And now, they’re standing in the water saying JESUS has changed everything, and HE IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS. Never stop praying for one more to know Christ!”
WATCH the Baptisms Here:
One woman who was at the service shared, “It was SO AMAZING! We stayed because all the baptisms ran service over by almost an hour! Such an AMAZING thing to witness! 700 scheduled and 182 in service leaps of faith!!! ”
As CBN News has been reporting over the last several years, mass baptisms are becoming more and more prevalent in America and overseas as well, and these moments are being seen as a sign that a spiritual awakening is underway.
CBN News has produced a documentary on how the Lord is working in the lives of these students. It’s called “Revival Generation,” and you can stream it or order a DVD by clicking HERE.
Share This Article
Author: Benjamin Gill manages CBNNews.com and the CBN News app while also curating social media material
Share good news – Share this and any page freely Copy and share this link on your media, eg Facebook, Instagram, Emails: Renewal Journal – a chronicle of renewal and revival: www.renewaljournal.com
Flashpoints of Revival – Blog Revival Fires – Blog “I know of no other book like this one that provides rapid-fire, easy-to-read, factual literary snapshots of virtually every well-known revival since Pentecost. … I felt like I had grasped the overall picture of revival for the first time” C Peter Wagner
Share good news – Share this and any page freely Copy and share this link on your media, eg Facebook, Instagram, Emails: Renewal Journal – a chronicle of renewal and revival: www.renewaljournal.com
And excerpts from Australia, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Philippines, Kenya, Ghana and the South Pacific. More details in blog God’s Surprises and God’s Surprises – PDF
Permission: you can freely reproduce and share these resources and books, including printing (just include the source). You can print and distribute your edition of any of my books – “by all means save some” (1 Cor 9:22)
Revival swept the highland villages in Papua New Guinea from 1973, just before and into their independence from 1975. I had the privilege of being there just before that and teaching village pastors and teachers in Bible Schools, which became part of preparing them for revival.
That revival spread from village to village. Pastors and leaders prayed for people to be saved, healed, set free and filled with the Holy Spirit. People in the villages met constantly each morning in prayer groves, and in their village churches. When I taught village pastors, teachers, and leaders in their Bible Schools I did not know that we were preparing them for revival. Missionaries and locals had translated the New Testament into Enga, so it was printed just in time for use in the revivals.
I landed in the 3-5,000 feet mountains of Papua New Guinea (PNG) among the Enga tribes as a raw, enthusiastic, inexperienced teacher. I had begun teaching with a class of 48 eight-year-old boys in Sydney at age 19 in 1957.
From 1965 I taught Basic English in PNG, first in mission station schools and then in village schools, less than a decade before revival transformed the church and villages there in PNG from 1973 and before PNG became independent in 1975. The Australian government poured money into PNG to raise educational and health levels to prepare them for independence.
Engas then wore nothing above the waist, and wore nets made from Pandanus fibres hung from belts made of vines or bamboo. Acquired old leather belts became popular. Now they have access to trade store clothing. More modest than many Europeans, no man would touch a woman in public including any of his wives. Big men like tribal leaders had many wives. Bride prices, given to the bride’s clan, included many pigs, maybe cows, and special shells.
The culture, wildly different from my Australian background, valued communal loyalty above individual choices. Payback, eye for eye and life for life, was not just an option but a responsibility. If someone stole from your food garden or house, you or your clan should payback the insult. That often escalated into tribal war with bows and arrows and spears.
A school I started in a remote village when I was single, the only European in that village, grew grade by grade for each of six years, adding a new grade and an indigenous teacher each year. I moved on after the first year. Someone from that village stole food from a nearby clan’s gardens, so that clan raided the village and pillaged more food. The village responded with reciprocal raids. It escalated until the nearby clan burnt down the whole school with its classrooms made of bamboo walls and thick grass roofs. The village had to rebuild the whole school.
A student I later taught in my Bible School, got involved in a fight over a tribal land border. The son of a chief, he went to prison (calaboose) for a month, building roads, along with his father and the tribal warriors. Upon release his tribal leaders re-enrolled him immediately back into Bible School, proud of his loyalty, courage, and skill. These were leaders in revival.
I accompanied two native female village teachers to an education conference via the town of Madang, using the regular Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) Cessna planes. I showed the young ladies around the town. Unknown to me, local young men followed us, angry with me for taking two of their brown skinned ladies to where we stayed in a mission boarding house. They assumed I wanted sex. Fortunately the night watchman found those men creeping toward my room with knives ready to stab me. The watchman explained that we had separate rooms and I was a good man. Village teachers like them also became leaders in village revivals.
Another tribal group wanted to kill me because I had taken my school students swimming in a big pool in the river gorge nearby. But one student was washed downstream, almost drowning. His worry was not his cuts or bruises but that he had lost his school uniform sarong. He stopped his clan from coming to attack me in payback! Tribal elders insisted that I never take students swimming again there. That student later became a pastor leading revivals in the villages.
I enjoyed teaching Basic English in many schools, and then teaching leaders in Bible Schools where I used both the national Pidgin language and the local Enga dialect. Those young leaders became village teachers and pastors. Most of them became leaders in revivals among the Engas which transformed hundreds of lives in each area.
They no longer cut a joint off a finger at the death of a close relative to show that relative’s spirit their sorrow. They no longer sacrificed to the spirits for protection but trusted God. They learned to forgive and agree on settlements instead of insisting on an eye for an eye. The first corpse I saw was a man cut in his neck with a tomahawk, lying on a hollow log bridge, because he had committed adultery. Someone in the woman’s clan had killed him.
Government law in PNG made it being illegal to stop after a vehicle accident in case of immediate payback by offended locals. By law you must not stop but report immediately to the nearest police station. Gradually life changed. Peace increased as repentance and revival spread..
Of course, like us, they were not perfect nor always Christ-like. But they learned and grew in compassion and care.
I was the only single male teacher, based in four mission stations and many villages. Twenty or so single European female teachers and nurses also lived and worked there. After three years single there (and invited to many meals with single women) I married Meg, one of the teachers. I would run from my school the three hours (usually a 5 hour trek) across high ridges to visit Meg at her school at weekends. But we did not hold hands in public. Even at night that was risky. We did that one night in the dark down a ridge track. Then I saw a low glow of a straw bundle small fire approaching in the dark (a local torch) along the track. Meg and I quickly separated.
“I see you are coming,” I said politely in the Enga dialect.
“I see you are there,” replied the school student politely, and passed us by. Next day stories circulated around the school and villages that we were caught being naughty.
I proposed to Meg there, and we married on furlough in Sydney. Then we returned to teach local leaders in Bible Schools. Our first child, born in the one-room European ward of the mission hospital, never crawled because the woven bamboo floor hurt her knees. So she held onto chairs and boxes, walking by nine months. Our homes, made from bamboo walls and floor with a thick grass roof, kept us cool in the daytime tropical heat. Village ladies passed our popular white baby from woman to woman with their unwashed breasts. Our baby caught a mild eye infection from that encounter, soon fixed with eye drops.
I was the founding principal of the full-time Bible School there where respected leaders trained to be pastors and teachers in the villages. We did not know we were preparing them to lead in village revivals, with strong Spirit-filled teaching, following God’s Word, just like in the Gospels and the life of the early church in the Book of Acts.
Here are some photos of those early pioneering days.
Village communion with bamboo cups & sweet potato
Baptisms in creek
Typical village
School student
Bamboo and vine bridge in gorge
Geoff and Meg
Back in Australia I taught on renewal and revival at Trinity Theological College and Christian Heritage College in Brisbane and led many short term mission teams to around 20 countries to encourage revival.
For 20 years we have lived in an extended family in our home designed and built by my son where by 2025 we have four generations living together, still involved in ministry and mission.
Here are some excerpts from Australia, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Philippines, Kenya, Ghana and the South Pacific. More details are in the blog God’s Surprises and in the free book God’s Surprises – PDF
Australia
Back in Australia I worked as a Baptist minister with the Methodist and then Uniting Church in Christian Education in Brisbane and Queensland, leading conferences, camps, conventions, and church services. That included united renewal conventions in the Anglican, Catholic, and Uniting Church cathedrals. I also worked part-time for two years as the inaugural Lifeline telephone counselling director in Toowoomba and a lecturer in Religious Education at the university there.
Later I taught about renewal and revival to Uniting Church (Methodist, Presbyterian, Congregational), Anglican and Catholic students at Trinity Theological College, part of the Brisbane College of Theology. Then I lectured at and became a Fellow of Christian Heritage College in Brisbane with its schools of Education, Social Sciences, Counselling, Business and Ministry.
Revival spread among Indigenous Australians from an outpouring of God’s Spirit among Elcho Island aborigines near Darwin from February 1978. That spread across northern Australia. We invited them to Pentecost weekend meetings in Brisbane and they invited us to their annual celebrations in February. God moved powerfully among them in repentance, reconciliation, conversions, baptisms, and deliverance from domestic violence and alcoholism in large numbers.
I was the founding editor of the Renewal Journal (now www.renewaljournal.com). That led to invitations to overseas short-term revival mission trips in around 20 countries including in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific, as described in my book God’s Surprises (free on www.renewaljournal.com).
Here are highlights from a few of those revival mission trips.
Asia
Sri Lanka
We taught many overseas students in Trinity Theological College, mainly from the South Pacific but also from Asia. I conducted the impressive and totally free wedding in Brisbane of two students from Sri Lanka. Philip worked as a part-time cleaner of St Stephen’s Presbyterian (then Uniting) cathedral, so we held the wedding there for free. Church ladies freely provided flowers for the service and for the following day’s Sunday Service. The mother of a student friend at college owned a boutique clothing shop which also hired wedding clothes so she gave them free choice of impressive wedding outfits. Those students lived in a Salvation Army hostel so the hostel provided a smorgasbord wedding breakfast for them as their gift.
Philip and Dhamika’s relatives led village churches and a Bible School in the hills around Kandi in Sri Lanka. They invited us to visit and encourage them and lead revival meetings. They inherited land with fresh spring water so they built a small factory to bottle and sell the water to support their church and mission work. Our time there included dedicating their new factory for God’s kingdom purposes.
India
One of our teams visited Grace Bible College and school in New Delhi. It was the largest Bible College in India with 600 students. Graduates worked in many hostile regions and faced a lot of opposition and persecution. Two of their students returned to Nepal during the time of one of our visits to Nepal. Those students were shot by Maoists. They were accused of being spies.
Nepal
A retired friend in Brisbane worked with the government in Nepal to help with international marketing. He befriended and supported many local pastors and a young evangelist. The evangelist arranged revival meetings for us in West Nepal, East Nepal, and Kathmandu where he had started a church. That Hosanna Church grew into one of the biggest congregations in Nepal and planted many new churches, established schools, trade colleges, and Bible Schools. We saw the Lord pour out his Spirit on pastors and leaders there many times. Most pastors had been imprisoned often, and some bore scars from beatings there. If, for example, a pastor conducted a Christian wedding and relatives complained about that, the pastor could be imprisoned for a month or more for disturbing the peace.
Philippines
I taught on revival at a seminary in Manilla in the sweltering heat of the Philippines. My M.Th. students reported on revival and miracles. One Baptist pastor, who was also a police inspector, reported that a church he visited sent groups of young people to sing and speak at hospitals and nursing homes.
One of those teams held monthly meetings in a mental hospital. The staff said that their patients may not understand much, but those patients did enjoy the singing. More than 40 came to the first meeting. The team offered to pray for anyone who would like prayer. They prayed personally for 26 people. The next month when the team returned, all those 26 had been discharged and sent home.
Africa
Kenya
Francis, a Christian Heritage College graduate from Kenya began Nairobi Believers Mission (NBM) in the slums of Kibera, Nairobi, where a million people live, jammed together in small mud brick homes with rusty iron roofs. Our mission teams visited Francis to serve leaders and speak at meetings there. In spite of poverty and political unrest, their churches continue to grow steadily.
“Can I take some bread home?” asked a young man at our communion service in the slums of Nairobi in Kenya, East Africa. We shared real drink and some loaves of bread together among 30 people in their corrugated iron shed where I was the guest preacher.
“It’s your bread,” I answered. “You decide.” He quickly shoved a handful of bread into his pocket. Then most of the others did the same. Two weeks later, Francis, the young pastor, emailed me: “I’ve visited the slum homes of those people and they are still eating that bread. It’s still fresh.” Apparently God multiplied it.
Francis added: “Actually the miracle continued months after we began NBM and were feeding members each Saturday afternoon with tea and bread. God continued multiplying the food and there was always enough.”
Ghana
A young pastor in Ghana in West Africa, invited me to hold meetings there. So I arrived with three others from Brisbane during our college break in July, forgetting it was monsoon time in Ghana. We flew into a deluge of rain on the Monday. Our hosts planned night meetings in the market from Tuesday, with morning teaching in a local church.
We drove for over an hour in pouring rain from Accra, the capital, to the town of Suhum in the hills for our first meeting on Tuesday night. The heavy rain had flooded the power station there so the whole town was in darkness. We prayed earnestly, asking God to take over. Within 15 minutes the rain stopped, the town lit up with power, and we began. The host team began excitedly shouting that it was a miracle.
Soon the musicians from one of the local churches had plugged in their instruments to the sound system. The loudspeakers did not face the faithful Christians gathered in the fluorescent-lit open area, but pointed at the surrounding houses, the stores, and the hotel. Those excited Africans sang and danced for over two hours, attracting hundreds to the meeting.
When we invited people to respond and give their lives to Christ, they came from the surrounding darkness into the light. Some wandered over from the pub, smelling of beer. They kept the ministry team busy praying and arranging follow-up with their churches.
We moved about laying hands on people and praying for them. People reported various touches of God in their lives. Church teams prayed for hundreds of people. Many were saved. Many were healed. One man testified, “I came to this meeting blind, but while you were singing I found I could see.”
Each day we held morning worship and teaching sessions for Christians in the Apostolic Church, hot under an iron roof on those clear, tropical sunny days. During the second morning I vividly ‘saw’ golden light fill the church and swallow up or remove blackness. At that point the African Christians became very noisy, vigorously celebrating and shouting praises to God. A fresh anointing seemed to fall on them just then.
Although it didn’t rain the whole time we were holding meetings there, the day after our meetings finished, the torrential rains began again. The following week we saw floods in Ghana reported on international television. Later on we received letters telling us how the church where we held our morning meetings, and the other churches, had grown, expanded their building, and had sent out teams of committed young people in evangelism. Through that experience, God showed us a glimpse of what he is doing in a big way in the earth right now.
South Pacific
We often visited the South Pacific nations close to Australia, including Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji. I describe many revival movements in my book South Pacific Revivals (free on www.renewaljournal.com).
Many revival movements swept the South Pacific islands. I was blessed to see some.
God’s Spirit fell on the Law School of the University of the South Pacific just after Easter 2002. The Law School is in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu. Many were dramatically saved and transformed. Those committed students also went on mission to other South Pacific nations and to Australia. Now they are lawyers and leaders, and a president of their Christian Fellowship became a Member of Parliament in Tuvalu.
Some of those teams came with me to Pentecost Island in Vanuatu. God has been moving there in unusual ways for a hundred years. Vanuatu people first evangelized the island, one becoming a martyr, A wife of the highest ranking chief returned to life after she died and told them that she had seen God and they should leave their heathen ways and become Christians. Many revival teams have served God there.
God poured out his Spirit on children and youth in the Western Solomon Islands from Easter 2003. They loved to sing and pray daily in the church after school. God gave them visions, revelations, words of knowledge about hidden sins and bad relationships and many other spiritual gifts such as healings and speaking and singing what God revealed.
A mother asked me what it meant when her young boy had a vision of Jesus with one foot in heaven and one foot on the earth. I immediately remembered Matthew 28:18 – All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Many youths had visions of Jesus.
We saw God touch around 1,000 youths at a Solomon Islands National Christian Youth Convention in 2006. One night at the convention they responded, running to the front of the open-air meeting. For half-an-hour their worship team sang “He is Lord” while we prayed for them. They fell like dominoes. Many testified to healings, visions and revelations. One young man returned to his village that night and found his mother ill, so laid hands on her and prayed for her. She was healed. His brother then asked for prayer and he too was healed. The young man had never done that before. A whole group from the Kariki Islands, further west, saw revival in their islands on their return. God moved powerfully in every meeting they held and in their personal prayers.
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UK Bible sales soar by 87% as young people rediscover faith in uncertain times.
In a striking cultural shift, Bible sales in the UK nearly doubled over five years, rising from £2.69 million in 2019 to £5.02 million in 2024. While general non-fiction sales fell, the hunger for God’s Word grew – driven especially by Generation Z.
Surveys reveal that 62% of 18- to 24-year-olds describe themselves as spiritual, compared to only 35% of those over 65. Far fewer Gen Z identify as atheists (13%) than millennials (20%) or Gen X (25%).
Publishers and ministries note that young people are picking up the Bible to find hope, identity, and guidance amid mental health struggles and post-pandemic uncertainty. “The Bible has something important to say to young people,” says Mark Woods of Bible Society.
Modern translations like the Good News Bible: Youth Edition – featuring notes, infographics, and space for reflection – have nearly doubled in sales since 2021. The NIV and Good News Bible now outsell the traditional King James Version.
Source: Bible Society
USA: Generation Z’s quiet turn to Jesus
“I want a god.” This striking confession from a Gen Z young adult sums up a surprising trend in the West today. After decades of growing secularism, the tide is turning – especially among the young.
New Barna data reveals two-thirds of US adults now say their commitment to Jesus remains important, marking a 12-point rise since 2021. Bible sales are also soaring – up 22% last year – driven largely by Gen Z’s curiosity about faith.
Why the shift? After years marked by loneliness, anxiety and an empty digital life, many are searching for meaning that transcends their screens. “The phone-based life produces spiritual degradation,” writes atheist Jonathan Haidt. His solution? Engage in spiritual practices.
This spiritual longing is drawing many to Scripture and to Jesus himself. The popular series The Chosen plays a key role, with a third of viewers identifying as non-believers or agnostics. By portraying Jesus and his disciples as relatable humans with divine purpose, the show invites seekers into God’s story.
John Plake from the American Bible Society puts it plainly: “Nobody becomes a Christian because they lose the argument. It’s because they’re invited on the journey.”
“You Won’t Believe Why 2 Million Brits Are Trying Church Again – And It’s Not What You Think”
Church in the UK is having a surprise comeback. In fact, church attendance has jumped by 50% in the last six years, and around 2 million people have tried going recently (yes, really – YouGov says so!). Curious why? Here are six eye-opening reasons people are giving church another go – and maybe why you should too.
1. People Are Happier There – No Joke Feeling a bit lost, lonely or low? You’re not alone. But here’s something interesting: 71% of churchgoers say they’re happy with life right now, and 75% feel their life has real meaning. That’s miles ahead of people who don’t go. Especially for young women, going to church is linked to feeling less anxious or depressed. Jesus once said he came to give “life in all its fullness” – sounds like he might’ve been onto something.
2. It’s Where People Ask the Big Stuff Where did I come from? Why am I here? What’s the point of it all? If those questions have been rattling around your brain, you’re not alone – loads of people are heading to church to explore life’s biggest questions. And it’s totally okay not to have the answers. Most churches run chilled, friendly courses like Alpha or Christianity Explored, where you can bring your doubts and chat honestly.
3. It’s Not About the Building – It’s About Belonging One big surprise? Church is actually full of people – real, supportive, diverse, messy people. And research shows it’s helping people, especially young adults, feel more connected. Over 60% of young churchgoers say they feel close to their community, compared to just 25% of non-churchgoers. Whether you’re an introvert, extrovert, thinker, feeler, young, old – there’s room for you.
4. You Get to Be Part of Something Bigger We all want to feel like we matter – like we’re making a difference. Church helps with that too. It’s not about watching from the sidelines – it’s about joining in. Churchgoers are way more likely to volunteer, support charities, and give to food banks. If you’ve been craving purpose or a chance to help, church might surprise you.
5. It Gives You Space to Breathe Life moves fast – too fast. But church is one of the few places that actually invites you to pause. To pray. To think. To be still. And guess what? More and more young adults are turning to spiritual practices like prayer to cope with stress. Church isn’t a magic fix, but it is a place to take a breath and bring your worries to a God who listens.
6. It’s Actually a Celebration Why all the singing on Sundays? Because church is celebrating something huge: Jesus’ resurrection – the moment Christians believe changed everything. It’s about joy, not just ritual. Jesus claimed to bring forgiveness, freedom, and eternal life – and that’s something worth singing about. Church won’t solve all your problems. But it might just connect you with the One who can.
So… maybe it’s time to give church a try. You don’t need to have it all figured out. You don’t even need to believe yet. But you might just find more than you expected. (Via Tev Tim Yau)
New research reveals that twice as many people in the UK are committing to follow Christ compared to five years ago. Both large and small churches are seeing spiritual growth, with a notable rise in young people exploring faith. Despite changing attendance patterns, churches are adapting and confidently sharing hope, fueling a quiet revival across the nation.
UK churches see twice as many people commit to following Christ since pandemic: research
Churches are seeing twice as many people committing to following Jesus Christ compared to five years ago, according to the latest research report titled “Changing Church” published by the Evangelical Alliance in the United Kingdom.
The findings reinforce related research disclosed recently in “The Quiet Revival” Report by the Bible Society showing an increase in young men becoming Christians.
Danny Webster, director of advocacy for the U.K. Evangelical Alliance, commented in a news update that “more people are approaching churches and exploring the Christian faith — and in this area smaller churches are seeing salvation at a comparable rate to large churches.”
“What I’m seeing as I travel around the country are churches that are adapting well to the landscape, serving their communities wholeheartedly and growing numerically as they confidently share the hope of Jesus with those around them.
“There’s an openness to the Christian faith, especially among young people, which is reflected in our new Changing Church report. The next few years may well be even more dramatic in this time of spiritual openness.”
The data showed that average church attendance has been upsurging by 13% since January 2020, which is still considered an “underestimate of what’s happening across the U.K.” by Webster.
Larger churches have grown at the same time as smaller churches shrunk, he said, meaning that “the overall attendance change across all the churches surveyed was 22%, with larger churches seeing significant growth disproportionately contributing to that number.”
Churches with 47 or fewer members dipped by 15%, but a quarter of churches with more than 165 members grew by 21%.
The Evangelical Alliance had anticipated a decline in weekly church attendance, a trend now confirmed by data showing a drop from 90% in 2020 to 78% in 2025. However, most respondents who no longer attend weekly still participate in church gatherings about three times per month.
“The changes to church life we are witnessing are not evenly distributed, and beyond the findings of this research more is needed to understand how different denominations are faring, how churches in different parts of the country are growing or declining,” wrote Webster.
“What is clear is that in the UK people are coming to know Jesus as His good news is confidently shared. It is an encouragement for us to continue to follow Him, and help others come to know Him.”
More than 7,750 people were baptized in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Huntington Beach, California, in an event organizers say marked the largest single-day baptism in American history. Hosted by Oceans Church and led by Pastor Mark Francey, the event dubbed “Baptise California” drew approximately 30,000 attendees from more than 300 churches across the state. Participants of all ages publicly professed their faith through baptisms, either in the ocean or in portable baptisteries positioned along the beach. You were part of the largest water baptism in American history,” Francey told the crowd. “Who thinks that God could do it in the other states of America?” The mass baptism, now in its second year, exceeded last year’s turnout of 6,000 and is seen by organizers as a spiritual catalyst for an even larger national event planned for next month. Called “Baptize America,” the initiative aims to unite thousands of churches across the United States in what is described as “the largest synchronized baptism in history.”
The next event will be held on June 8 and falls on Pentecost Sunday, a date that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles in the Christian tradition. Organizers believe the timing is symbolic and strategic, pointing to revival and national spiritual renewal. “We’re going to flood local churches in every single one of our states, and we’re going to see a mass water baptism across our land,” Francey said. The Baptize America campaign seeks to unite churches from diverse backgrounds around a common theological practice: the public declaration of faith through water baptism. Its website states, “This is not about any single church. It’s about churches across the nation united, pursuing the fulfillment of the Great Commission.” The event also featured worship performances from prominent Christian artists, including Bethel Music, Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes. Among those baptized was a 71-year-old woman named Joanne, who shared with organizers that she had considered baptism for four decades but never followed through.
Organizers hope the June event will signal a growing movement of national repentance and unity in the Church, with the website declaring, “If God can do it in California, He can do it in any state. And if He can do it in America, He can do it in any other nation in the world.” The Baptize America team is recruiting churches across the U.S. to join the June 8 movement. “Join the movement today,” the site urges. “Our nation and the nations of the earth will bear witness that God is not done with America. It will be saved.” In a previous interview with the Christian Post, Francey said he hopes to take Baptise California not only across America but around the world. “I think that when God wants to do something, he kind of creates the right atmosphere and ecosystem for it to happen,” he said. Francey said he got a vision from God to promote baptism to help the local church about two years ago while praying. “I don’t know where God wants us to go. But we’re kind of prepared for whatever He wants us to do,” the pastor said.
“Ultimately, our desire is to make the Day of Pentecost the day that Christendom celebrates water baptism,” he said. “I think it happens organically every once in a while, but the Book of Acts was obviously started with a prayer meeting that led to bold preaching in the public square, then to a public declaration of faith that 3,000 believed, and then were baptized.” Each person baptized at the events hosted by Baptize California will be provided with resources from an online database to help them connect with a local church of their choice, he added. “This isn’t like a parachurch organization that’s going to kind of blow in and blow out, just get a crowd and just trying to get people hyped. Our heart was to unite the local church, to work together, to really reach our world, and then to build a kingdom by connecting all of these people that are making a decision to get connected to the local church,” Francey said. “For us, the win isn’t the count of how many got baptized, really, it’s going to be how that translates into how we are getting people connected to the local church.”
A crowd that gathered at Huntington Beach for the ‘Baptize California’ event on May 18 and 19, 2024. (Baptize California/Facebook)
A total of 12,000 people were recently baptized over two days in California in what is being called the nation’s largest baptism event to date.
“You can smell another Great Awakening in the air like rain before it hits,” Pastor Mark Francey, founder of the event, shared in an interview with CBN. “God lit a match yesterday! If God can do this in the church in California, it can — and it will — happen in the rest of America!”
The event was called ‘Baptize California’ and was held on May 18 and 19. The biggest service happened at Huntington Beach where 6,000 people were baptized, many in the ocean.
Across the state, a host of other churches also participated and collectively baptized an additional 6,000 people.
Pastor Francey leads Oceans Church in California. Last year he hosted the event ‘Baptize SoCal’ which led to 4,200 people being baptized. The event held in 2023 was at the infamous Pirate’s Cove, the same place many were baptized during The Jesus Movement in the 60s and 70s, portrayed in the recent film The Jesus Revolution.
“My wife, Rachelle, and I could hardly sleep thinking about how God could be so kind to let us be a part of the largest baptism in the history of America,” Francey said. “We are proof that God really can use anybody.”
The event lasted over 5 hours and included an evening concert on the beach.
“We saw hearts healed, lives changed, and many souls committing themselves to Christ, and getting baptized,” says Rachelle, Francey’s wife, on Instagram. “This is a testament to God’s enduring love for California and His unyielding desire to see His people renewed and restored.”
June 8, Pentecost Sunday 2025
26,000 Baptized across U.S. in Historic One-Day Event
Revival swept the nation as thousands declared Jesus as Lord. Pentecost Sunday made history once again.
More than 26,000 individuals across the United States were baptized Sunday in what is believed to be the largest synchronized baptism event in the nation’s history. Dubbed “Baptize America,” the one-day initiative saw 26,657 individuals baptized and 6,445 salvations recorded across 1,080 baptism events hosted by 650 churches in all 50 states, according to preliminary numbers. Organizers on Sunday night said about 10 percent of churches had yet to report.
The baptisms took place in a wide variety of areas — from small rural churches to outdoor locations like Pirates Cove in Corona del Mar, Calif. In Colorado Springs, Zeal Church held baptisms indoors at Citadel Mall, with hundreds of onlookers.
It was the brainchild of Oceans Church (Calif.) Pastor Mark Francey, who previously helped organize three other mass baptism events: 2023’s Baptize SoCal, 2024’s Baptize California and another Baptize California event this year. Those gatherings, like this year, saw thousands baptized.
“This wasn’t just about a moment in the water; it was about launching people into a life with Jesus, surrounded by a community that can help them grow,” Francey said Sunday. “We witnessed countless personal transformations and families baptized together; it was a movement of hope.”
Francey announced on Sunday that Baptize America will become an annual event held each year on Pentecost Sunday.
“This is just the beginning,” Francey said. “We believe Pentecost Sunday will be marked yearly by revival, renewal, and restoration across America.”
In Hackney, East London hundreds of young people from three local churches stay up all night to pray and seek God. Al Gordon writes “I’ve never seen anything like it. There’s a remarkable sense of consecrating love setting apart the young, calling them to holiness.”
Snapshot #2: Saturday
In Trafalgar Square thousands gather to hear the gospel. Many healed and saved. Evangelist Daniel Chand sums it up in one word: “Historic”.
Snapshot #3: Sunday
St Aldates, Oxford where George Whitfield gave his life to Christ, is overflowing. So many young people give their lives to Christ they lose count. Steven Foster says: “It broke our systems. From the start of the service it felt like literally anything could happen and probably would. It was mostly Gen Z responding but also prison leavers and people in recovery.”
Jesus tells us to be alert to the signs of the times, but then again we need hope not hype.
And so, after 25 years of 24-7 Prayer, contending non-stop for the tide to turn, refusing to believe for anything less than revival, I am hesitant even to type these words: something seems to be shifting at last. Just when it felt like failure. When in our darkest moment we found ourselves wondering if it had all been a waste of time.
I dare to believe because this last weekend is just the latest iteration of something bigger that seems to be happening. Over Easter
– many churches reported bumper attendances.
– 12000 were baptised in France one of the most secular nations on earth
– 419 were baptised by our friends at New Life Church in Colorado Springs.
– 469 gave their lives to Christ at Audacious church in Manchester
– 116 got saved at Soul Church in Norwich
And meanwhile – beyond events, programmes, conferences and successful services – the long-term societal markers also seem to be shifting.
– Public intellectuals from Tom Holland to Jordan Peterson to Ayaan Hirsi Ali are arguing for faith in God.
– Influencers with millions of followers are professing faith – some even getting baptised.
– Columns in the Wall Street Journal and the London Times are reporting a return to religion amongst the young. The Spectator even using the (over-excited) headline ‘Revival’.
– More than 7000 school classrooms have now been turned into prayer rooms thanks to Prayer Spaces in Schools
– 25% of Australians are saying they’d accept an invitation to church and 70% that they talk to the God they’re no longer supposed to believe in!
Now if you’re reading this and thinking ‘it doesn’t feel like that where I live,’ all I can say is this:
Firstly, let’s pray! It doesn’t matter how small the spark, if you pour petrol on it you can start a fire. Pray on your own. Pray with others. Set up a 24-7 Prayer Room.
Secondly, let’s be confident in sharing our faith. There are clear signs of a growing spiritual hunger in the land – people are more open than they were to the Lord. These things always begin in certain hotspots before they spread out.
Thirdly, let’s invest in young people. The turning is most marked among Gen Z. Let’s not miss this moment of opportunity.
New research reveals that twice as many people in the UK are committing to follow Christ compared to five years ago. Both large and small churches are seeing spiritual growth, with a notable rise in young people exploring faith. Despite changing attendance patterns, churches are adapting and confidently sharing hope, fueling a quiet revival across the nation.
UK churches see twice as many people commit to following Christ since pandemic: research
Churches are seeing twice as many people committing to following Jesus Christ compared to five years ago, according to the latest research report titled “Changing Church” published by the Evangelical Alliance in the United Kingdom.
The findings reinforce related research disclosed recently in “The Quiet Revival” Report by the Bible Society showing an increase in young men becoming Christians.
Danny Webster, director of advocacy for the U.K. Evangelical Alliance, commented in a news update that “more people are approaching churches and exploring the Christian faith — and in this area smaller churches are seeing salvation at a comparable rate to large churches.”
“What I’m seeing as I travel around the country are churches that are adapting well to the landscape, serving their communities wholeheartedly and growing numerically as they confidently share the hope of Jesus with those around them.
“There’s an openness to the Christian faith, especially among young people, which is reflected in our new Changing Church report. The next few years may well be even more dramatic in this time of spiritual openness.”
The data showed that average church attendance has been upsurging by 13% since January 2020, which is still considered an “underestimate of what’s happening across the U.K.” by Webster.
Larger churches have grown at the same time as smaller churches shrunk, he said, meaning that “the overall attendance change across all the churches surveyed was 22%, with larger churches seeing significant growth disproportionately contributing to that number.”
Churches with 47 or fewer members dipped by 15%, but a quarter of churches with more than 165 members grew by 21%.
The Evangelical Alliance had anticipated a decline in weekly church attendance, a trend now confirmed by data showing a drop from 90% in 2020 to 78% in 2025. However, most respondents who no longer attend weekly still participate in church gatherings about three times per month.
“The changes to church life we are witnessing are not evenly distributed, and beyond the findings of this research more is needed to understand how different denominations are faring, how churches in different parts of the country are growing or declining,” wrote Webster.
“What is clear is that in the UK people are coming to know Jesus as His good news is confidently shared. It is an encouragement for us to continue to follow Him, and help others come to know Him.”
UK Bible sales soar by 87% as young people rediscover faith in uncertain times.
In a striking cultural shift, Bible sales in the UK nearly doubled over five years, rising from £2.69 million in 2019 to £5.02 million in 2024. While general non-fiction sales fell, the hunger for God’s Word grew – driven especially by Generation Z.
Surveys reveal that 62% of 18- to 24-year-olds describe themselves as spiritual, compared to only 35% of those over 65. Far fewer Gen Z identify as atheists (13%) than millennials (20%) or Gen X (25%).
Publishers and ministries note that young people are picking up the Bible to find hope, identity, and guidance amid mental health struggles and post-pandemic uncertainty. “The Bible has something important to say to young people,” says Mark Woods of Bible Society.
Modern translations like the Good News Bible: Youth Edition – featuring notes, infographics, and space for reflection – have nearly doubled in sales since 2021. The NIV and Good News Bible now outsell the traditional King James Version.
Source: Bible Society
Joel News, October 16, 2025
UK: Churches lead 420 projects transforming Bristol’s communities
Across Bristol, churches are stepping up with hundreds of projects tackling deep needs – from warm spaces for the lonely to support for children, refugees, and the homeless.
A new report reveals 427 active church-led initiatives across the city, run by 195 churches. These include children’s programs, mental health support, community cafés, and food insecurity relief. Many are part of the Warm Welcome Campaign, offering free entry, warmth, listening ears, and practical help to thousands.
The study, by Good Faith Partnership and Christian Action Bristol, found two-thirds of churches run social action projects, with 75% focusing on children or community hubs. Almost 70% work with local charities to tackle homelessness, addiction, and refugee integration.
Church leaders emphasised that collaboration is key. “Inter-church partnerships are working well, both locally and across the city,” the report notes. “Churches are more than places of worship – they’re vital contributors to a thriving Bristol,” says Alisha Cole of Good Faith Partnership.
The authors highlight a biblical vision: “If the Church is the body of Christ, made to reflect Him, then it has a radical mission to contribute to the flourishing of the places it exists in.”
Source: Good Faith Partnership, Christian Action Bristol
Joel News, October 16, 2025
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PAPUA NEW GUINEA
In March 2025, the Parliament of Papua New Guinea passed a major constitutional amendment that formally recognizes the nation’s Christian heritage and identity.
In a world where faith is often pushed to the margins, rhis nation made a decision that is turning heads across the globe.
Papua New Guinea officially moved to recognize its Christian identity in its Constitution, following a decisive parliamentary vote of 80 to 4. The amendment adds explicit references to God in the Preamble, acknowledging “God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit” as Creator and Sustainer.
For many, this is more than a legal update. It is a declaration of spiritual heritage.
The change also affirms Christianity within the nation’s guiding principles and recognizes the Bible as a national symbol. Yet, what makes this moment especially significant is what it does not remove. The Constitution still fully protects freedom of religion under Section 45, ensuring every citizen can practice their beliefs without restriction.
James Marape, who supported the amendment, emphasized that this move is not about control or exclusion. He described it as restoring honor to the role faith has already played in the nation’s story. For generations, Christian churches have helped build communities, provide education, and offer care in places where government systems were limited.
This decision did not happen in isolation. In 2022, the country’s Constitutional Law Reform Commission conducted widespread consultations. Voices from churches, local leaders, and communities echoed a shared desire to acknowledge what many already believe defines their national identity.
Still, the balance is clear. Recognition without restriction. Identity without coercion.
INDIA
A massive Christian gathering drew hundreds of thousands of people in Dimapur, Nagaland, India. Specifically, the event was the Nagaland Revival & Healing Festival 2025, held at the Multi-Disciplinary Sports Complex from December 2 to December 5, 2025. The festival was organized by a group known as The Gatekeepers and featured extended praise and worship sessions, teaching, prayer, testimony, and focused moments of spiritual reflection.
IRAN
Two thousand Iranians turning to Jesus every day
By Charles Gardner —
underground church Iran
The Bible Society, which operates around the globe, reports that more than 2,000 Iranians are turning to Jesus every single day! One 92-year-old believer, whenever she’s on a bus, pulls out a small book and asks her neighbor to help her read the tiny font.
In fact, she is secretly getting strangers to read the gospels. Every time she does it, the person sitting next to her ends up taking a New Testament home.
This is brave work in a land where leaving Islam is potentially punishable by death. But the Iranian revival is good news for Israel – and the Jews! For these dear people have been taught by their government and mullahs that Israel is their archenemy.
But now that they have opened their lives to Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, they find they are also growing to love the Jewish people, longing and praying for a restoration of the peace that the two nations once enjoyed.
This is profoundly good news for those who have eyes to see the bigger picture. For the strict Islamic state of Iran, whose rulers want to wipe out the Jewish people just as Hitler did and who are chief sponsors of monstrous terrorist groups like Hamas, is now the focus of a Christian revival where some two million people have discovered that Jesus, the Jew, is the Savior of the world.
As the mosques shut down in great numbers, passionate Christians are filling the vacuum, though of necessity staying ‘underground’ for now, out of sight of the religious police.
The Islamic foundations are crumbling for the chief sponsors of terrorism, a fact graphically prophesied by the psalmist thousands of years ago when he wrote of them: “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more. With one mind they plot together, forming an alliance against you.” (Psalm 83:4f)
Among the enemies named are ‘Ishmaelites’ and people from Philistia (Gaza) and Tyre (Lebanon), with Assyria (covering parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey) joining them. Does this ring any bells?
Yet the psalmist (Asaph) is not vindictive. He calls on the Lord to bring shame on them so that they will know “that you alone are the Most High over all the earth”. And we are hearing that many in the Muslim/Arab world, even in the strictest of regimes, are indeed discovering the truth of Yeshua.
In the UK too, where Jews feel increasingly threatened and pro-Palestinian marchers are allowed to call for Israel’s demise on the streets of our cities, there is a revival of Christianity, which gives us hope.
After conducting a thorough survey, the Bible Society reports a remarkable fourfold increase in young men aged 18-24 attending church over the last six years.
Amid rumors that Donald Trump is about to announce recognition of a Palestinian State (albeit without Hamas), here in the UK we are hearing reports of a recruiting campaign for Islam within the National Health Service. And even Conservative MPs and peers are making previously unheard-of calls for recognition of ‘Palestine’.
A British TV program has just been rightly lauded for exposing a shocking miscarriage of justice against a host of sub-postmasters wrongly convicted of theft, false accounting and fraud when in fact it was due to a faulty computer system.
But I also believe the monumental miscarriage of justice of modern times has been the grossly misleading narrative – through media, parliament and elsewhere – of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Restored to their ancient land through internationally recognized treaties, not to mention God’s law – their ultimate title deed – they are constantly subjected to a host of lies and propaganda accusing them of stealing what is their own property.
It’s important that we see the big picture of the unfolding spiritual warfare taking place. When Jesus sent out the 72 disciples to spread the gospel (as recorded in Luke 10:19,21), he told them he had given them authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy.
And he was full of joy through the Holy Spirit because God had hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to babes.
It is not the proud and arrogant who will inherit the earth, but the meek and humble. And the latter will also be granted a clear-sighted vision of what is really happening amidst the turmoil of these terrible times which are surely preparing the way for our Lord Yeshua’s return.
As the darkness deepens around the world, especially in the Middle East, the light of Christ is shining ever brighter. It must be tempting for Israelis to feel greatly perplexed.
The psalmist assures us: “Do not fret because of those who are evil… for like the grass they will wither… A little while, and the wicked will be no more… but the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.” (Psalm 37:1f, 10f)
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Afghanistan
Audio and simple acts of courage
In a bustling Afghan marketplace, a rug vendor was handed a small mp3 player filled with Scripture and devotions in his own language. As he listened to the message of Jesus, tears streamed down his face. Having lost friends and family for questioning Islamic teaching, he now found unexpected hope.
That rug vendor wasn’t just a merchant – he was a tribal chief. He immediately requested a player for each family member. A simple act of evangelism became the start of gospel witness to an entire tribe.
This is just one story from a growing underground movement. Over the past two years, more than 3,000 audio Scripture devices have been distributed across Afghanistan through a partnership between FMI and Keys 4 Kids Ministries.
“Afghanistan is a battleground for extremist ideologies,” says FMI leader Nehemiah. “But in the midst of fear and darkness, the gospel cannot be silenced.”
Despite Taliban control and ongoing threats from jihadist groups, Afghans are responding to the Word. Nehemiah calls believers worldwide to pray – for new listeners, for new believers, and even for the militants themselves. “God is moving in powerful ways,” he says. “Even here.”
Source: FMI, Keys 4 Kids Ministries
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AMERICA
California May 3, 2025 – 7,750 baptized
On May 3, more than 7,750 people from all walks of life were baptized in the Pacific Ocean at Huntington Beach, California, marking the largest single-day baptism in U.S. history. Hosted by Oceans Church and Pastor Mark Francey, the “Baptize California” event united over 300 churches and drew 30,000 attendees for a powerful day of worship, public faith declarations, and spiritual renewal. This historic moment is just the beginning-organizers are now inviting churches nationwide to join “Baptize America” on June 8, aiming for the largest synchronized baptism ever and a wave of revival across the country. If God can do it in California, He can do it anywhere!
A crowd that gathered at Huntington Beach for the ‘Baptize California’ event on May 18 and 19, 2024. (Baptize California/Facebook)
A total of 12,000 people were recently baptized over two days in California in what is being called the nation’s largest baptism event to date.
“You can smell another Great Awakening in the air like rain before it hits,” Pastor Mark Francey, founder of the event, shared in an interview with CBN. “God lit a match yesterday! If God can do this in the church in California, it can — and it will — happen in the rest of America!”
The event was called ‘Baptize California’ and was held on May 18 and 19. The biggest service happened at Huntington Beach where 6,000 people were baptized, many in the ocean.
Across the state, a host of other churches also participated and collectively baptized an additional 6,000 people.
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The Return to Religion is a Turn to Jesus
According to Barna’s latest data, two-thirds of all U.S. adults say, “they have made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important in their life today,” marking a 12-point increase since 2021, a clear indication of “meaningful spiritual renewal in the United States.”
Two significant indicators show how this trend is playing out in the lives of these younger adults, and both are at the heart of exactly how people are seeking answers in religion in general, and Christianity in particular.
Increase in Bible reading
The first is an increase in Bible reading. “For the first time since 2021, we’re seeing an increase in both Bible use and scripture engagement, particularly among younger adults and in men,” says John Plake, the Chief Innovation Officer for American Bible Society. “People are curious about the Bible and Jesus.” As you might expect, this curiosity in Bible reading is leading to a tangible trend: Bible sales. According to data collected by BookScan, sales of Bibles rose 22% last year, a startling statistic considering that most other categories of book sales were flat. And just who is driving this dramatic increase in Bible sales and reading? Gen Z.
Spiritual longing
The other indicator isn’t as measurable as Bible sales, but it is perhaps even more dramatic. Younger adults are looking for meaning and hope in something that transcends their everyday lives, something Lauren Jackson calls “spiritual longing.”
And just where do people go when confronted with this longing? Jackson says: “I want a god.” This desire for a god follows decades of loneliness, anxiety and growing dissatisfaction amid rising secularization. The rise of the “nones” — those who claim to have no religious affiliation — has made headlines for a long time now, while those who found meaning in religion shrank in numbers and influence. At least it seemed that way, as belief in God was overshadowed by the so-called “New Atheists,” epitomized by Richard Dawkins in his 2008 book, The God Delusion. “America’s secularization,” writes Lauren Jackson in a New York Times op-ed piece, “was an immense social transformation.” By 2021, nearly a third of Americans identified as “nones.” But this shift didn’t lead to more satisfying lives. Quite the opposite. Research shows that those who are less religious “rank lower on key metrics of well-being” than those who have some kind of belief. “They feel less connected to others, less spiritually at peace and they experience less awe and gratitude regularly,” writes Jackson.
Especially among Gen Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 — the rates of loneliness and anxiety have skyrocketed. As Jonathan Haidt concludes in The Anxious Generation, social media bears much of the blame for this “epidemic of mental Illness.” Although Haidt is a self-described atheist, he uses spiritual terms to describe both the impact of and the solution for this destructive trend. “The phone-based life produces spiritual degradation,” he writes, “not just in adolescents, but in all of us.” And what does he suggest anxious and lonely people do to reverse this trend and improve well-being? Engage in “certain spiritual practices.” And more people are engaging in spiritual practice — and becoming genuinely curious about Jesus.
Return to Jesus
One of the places people are apparently looking to satisfy this longing is the multi-season television series called The Chosen. In fact, one-third of all people who have viewed at least a portion of an episode are not believers at all. But they are curious about a show that is telling the greatest story about the greatest person in history.
Reports indicate that people who may have left the Christian faith are returning, partly as they’re “re-exploring Christianity” through The Chosen. Others are agnostics or even atheists who are seeking answers and appreciate the way the show portrays Jesus. By portraying Jesus and his chosen followers as real people with human traits we can identify with, The Chosen is introducing the faithful and curious alike to Jesus by simply inviting them into the story of God’s beautiful plan to offer hope to people living in a time when anxiety, loneliness, and despair are everywhere in our world. And this introduction comes at a critical time: A moment when more and more people desire and seek precisely such an invitation. “Nobody becomes a Christian because they lose the argument,” John Plake posted on his social media page. “It’s because they’re invited on the journey.” That’s what this “return to Jesus” is all about. People are curious, people are watching, and people are joining the journey Jesus invites us to take.
More than 26,000 individuals across the United States were baptized Sunday in what is believed to be the largest synchronized baptism event in the nation’s history. Dubbed “Baptize America,” the one-day initiative saw 26,657 individuals baptized and 6,445 salvations recorded across 1,080 baptism events hosted by 650 churches in all 50 states, according to preliminary numbers. Organizers on Sunday night said about 10 percent of churches had yet to report.
The baptisms took place in a wide variety of areas — from small rural churches to outdoor locations like Pirates Cove in Corona del Mar, Calif. In Colorado Springs, Zeal Church held baptisms indoors at Citadel Mall, with hundreds of onlookers.
It was the brainchild of Oceans Church (Calif.) Pastor Mark Francey, who previously helped organize three other mass baptism events: 2023’s Baptize SoCal, 2024’s Baptize California and another Baptize California event this year. Those gatherings, like this year, saw thousands baptized.
“This wasn’t just about a moment in the water; it was about launching people into a life with Jesus, surrounded by a community that can help them grow,” Francey said Sunday. “We witnessed countless personal transformations and families baptized together; it was a movement of hope.”
Francey announced on Sunday that Baptize America will become an annual event held each year on Pentecost Sunday.
“This is just the beginning,” Francey said. “We believe Pentecost Sunday will be marked yearly by revival, renewal, and restoration across America.”
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45,000 worship in Angel stadium, July 19, 2025
More than 45,000 people packed Angel Stadium, Anaheim, Los Angeles in California, on Saturday night July 19 for the annual Harvest Crusade, an evangelistic event led by pastor Greg Laurie, with another 200,000 tuning in online and over 500 radio stations broadcasting live across the U.S.
The event featured prominent Christian artists Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe Carnes, Chris Tomlin, Brooke Ligertwood, and We The Kingdom. A highlight of the evening came when the crowd joined in singing “The Blessing” with Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes, a moment Laurie called “truly a taste of Heaven” in a social media post.
In what organizers described as one of the largest responses in the 35-year history of the Harvest Crusades, more than 6,500 people made professions of faith in Jesus Christ. So many individuals came forward during the invitation to follow Christ that the fire marshal was forced to stop the flow of people onto the stadium field, Laurie shared on X (formerly Twitter).
A packed Angel Stadium crowd worships together during the 2025 Harvest Crusade in Anaheim, where more than 45,000 gathered for music, prayer, and a gospel message from Pastor Greg Laurie. Greg Laurie X account
“We prayed this would be one of the greatest Harvest Crusades in our history—and God did exceedingly, abundantly above all we could ask or think,” Laurie posted, paraphrasing from the Bible. He called the moment when he led the crowd in what is often called “the sinner’s prayer” a “holy moment” as thousands filled the aisles.
He posted this on X (formerly Twitter) Saturday, September 6, one of his final public messages before he was tragically shot and killed on September 10. He founded Turning Point USA. They arranged his Memorial Service, Wednesday, September 21 at the packed State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, with thousands more in an adjacent stadium.
Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, forgave her husband’s accused killer while speaking at his memorial service. His life and bold faith continue to impact millions.
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September 12-13, 2025 Faith Fest, North Carolina
‘Changed for Eternity’: 1,000+ Choose Christ at Massive FaithFest 2025 Gathering
Tens of thousands of people gathered recently under a 110-foot cross to seek Jesus Christ at FaithFest in Wilkesboro, NC. Official numbers have not been released, but reports indicate more than 1,000 attendees made decisions to give their lives to Christ, and approximately 100 were baptized on the spot.
FaithFest reported on Saturday night, September 13, “Closing in on 100 baptisms and more to go! Praise Jesus!”
Organizers stated, “We are still speechless after FaithFest 2025. For the first time ever, we completely sold out – but even greater than that, we saw eternal impact. Salvations. Rededications. Baptisms. Restoration. Revival. The Lord’s Spirit swept through this venue in a way we will never forget. Praise Jesus!”
Pastor Greg Laurie preached at the two-day, weekend event, sharing how God had saved his life when he was a young man, confused and searching for truth.
“Franklin Graham called and asked me to speak at FaithFest in North Carolina. He spoke at it last year and loved it – so I said yes. And what a blessing it was!” Laurie stated Facebook.
“There must have been over 50,000 people over the two nights I had the privilege of speaking. At least 1,000 made commitments to follow Christ—though it’s hard to count precisely, because we weren’t able to have them come forward. Instead, they stood where they were, and we brought New Believers’ Bibles to them—over 1,000 given out! A big thank you to Craig Church for the invitation. And yes… I enjoyed more than my fair share of fried chicken and Southern specialties while I was there!”
More than 8,000 college students gathered together to seek God and worship Jesus on Tuesday night at the University of Tennessee for the UniteUS campus event, the ministry reports.
UniteUS is an evangelistic outreach geared toward GenZers that has been presenting the Gospel on multiple college campuses. Their latest stop was the Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The ministry reports that approximately 500 students responded to the salvation message, and many were baptized right outside of the arena.
The Spirit of God is moving once again in the hearts of thousands of college students, this time at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
Nearly 7,000 young people filled the Yuengling Center to worship Jesus on Thursday night, while hundreds publicly declared their faith at the UniteUS campus event, according to the ministry.
Leaders reported to CBN News that the event saw over 1,000 decisions for Christ and more than 300 water baptisms.
“WHAT A NIGHT TAMPA! There is a move of God happening in Gen Z and we got to witness just a glimpse of it tonight. Thank you, Jesus.” Unite US wrote on Instagram.
“This generation won’t be silenced! Revival at the Yuengling Center on the campus of the University of South Florida….God is raising up an army!” Pastor Travis Johnson said.
A Texas church is celebrating how “God is changing lives in miraculous ways,” after nearly 700 people were baptized and hundreds more responded to the Gospel message during a powerful Sunday service.
Josh Howerton, senior pastor at Lakepointe Church in Rockwall, Texas, recently reflected on what took place during a September 21 service where hundreds of people showed up to hear the Word of God.
“Never seen anything like today. Stairs filled with people with Bibles on their laps bc seats were full,” he wrote on Facebook. “Almost SEVEN HUNDRED PEOPLE baptized this weekend at Lakepointe. Hundreds responding on the spot. The tide is turning.”
Bring your Bible to School Day, USA, involved more than 50,000 schools, with participation planned in all 50 states. The 2025 event was held on Thursday, October 2.
More than 6,000 students gathered at Clemson University‘s T. Ed Garrison Arena in Pendleton, South Carolina, for a UniteUS worship and revival event on November 18, 2025, resulting in hundreds of professions of faith and 78 baptisms.
Leaders reported many students responding in faith. Over 6,000 people gathered at the arena.
The night included worship and preaching. Many described it as life-changing.
Several students made public commitments. Dozens were baptized during the event.
The atmosphere was filled with energy. It was described as a moment of revival.
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USA: Generation Z’s quiet turn to Jesus
“I want a god.” This striking confession from a Gen Z young adult sums up a surprising trend in the West today. After decades of growing secularism, the tide is turning – especially among the young.
New Barna data reveals two-thirds of US adults now say their commitment to Jesus remains important, marking a 12-point rise since 2021. Bible sales are also soaring – up 22% last year – driven largely by Gen Z’s curiosity about faith.
Why the shift? After years marked by loneliness, anxiety and an empty digital life, many are searching for meaning that transcends their screens. “The phone-based life produces spiritual degradation,” writes atheist Jonathan Haidt. His solution? Engage in spiritual practices.
This spiritual longing is drawing many to Scripture and to Jesus himself. The popular series The Chosen plays a key role, with a third of viewers identifying as non-believers or agnostics. By portraying Jesus and his disciples as relatable humans with divine purpose, the show invites seekers into God’s story.
John Plake from the American Bible Society puts it plainly: “Nobody becomes a Christian because they lose the argument. It’s because they’re invited on the journey.”
Dr. Ahmed Joktan, who was beaten and scarred, had a gun put to his head, for converting to Christianity, hides his identity still because the danger is still there.
In Mecca – the crown jewel of Islam — immediately after he read the Koran and prayed to Allah during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Ahmed Joktan, the son of a grand mufti, was visited by Jesus in a dream.
“In my dream, the balcony opened up, there was this light, and I heard a voice saying, ‘Come to me,’” Ahmed says on a Gateways Christian Fellowship video.
Ahmed converted to Christ in New Zealand where he was studying English. He now lives in the West. Hundreds of thousands of other Saudis who converted remain in Saudi Arabia, boldly serving the Lord at the risk of being hanged.
Saudi Arabia is iron-clad closed to the gospel. Evangelizing is illegal. Bibles are outlawed. Apostasy is punishable by death. Non-Muslims are not even allowed in Mecca, where Muslims believe Mohammad received his visions and Abraham once lived.(1)
Oswaldo Magdangal led a church in Saudi Arabia for 11 years.
Despite the risks, Christianity is burgeoning, even approaching 10%2 of the population, says Oswaldo Magdangal, who pastored an underground church for 11 years as a Filipino worker. He was caught and almost hanged in 1992.
“Saudi Arabia has the largest secret congregation in the world, and it’s mainly Saudi citizens,” Oswaldo told God Reports. The younger generation is especially open to the Gospel. “Christianity is all over, in Mecca, Riyadh, but the biggest growth is in Jeddah.”
Is revival happening in the underground church?
“Saudi Arabia’s rate of Christian growth is about 65% greater than the global average,” says Bruce Allen, with Forgotten Missionaries International, using statistics from Joshua Project. “Just because we hear that a government is closed to the gospel doesn’t mean the hearts of the people are.” (2)
Until the new Crown Prince took over in 2017, Saudi Arabia was the home of one of the most extremist brands of Islam, Wahhabism. Of the 19 hijackers involved in 9/11, 15 were Saudi nationals and most of them followed the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam. Osama bin Ladin was Saudi and influenced by several extremist ideologies, including Wahhabism. School children have been taught in Saudi schools to fight the West.
But when Mohammad bin Salman took over, he liberalized the kingdom significantly. Fanatical clerics were jailed, preachers were told to tone down their messages, women were allowed to drive, schoolbooks were re-written to encourage moderate faith.
Most importantly, the religious police were stripped of their authority.
Wally Magdangal
Negotiations are ongoing to build churches on the peninsula; if neighboring United Arab Emirates has allowed compounds to open for churches, why not Saudi Arabia? There are now Bible printing houses (printing in Tagalog and in English), Oswaldo says.
But on the downside, congregations still can’t rent hotel conference rooms or public buildings, he adds.
“There is a major increase in church attendance, particularly among the younger generation,” Oswaldo says. “There are now Saudi pastors.”
From the Philippines, Oswaldo worked as a guest worker in charge of civilian employees for the Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia. His wife worked in the Armed Forces Hospital. They had good connections.
But their connections were not good enough to save him from the religious police. When he was holding services in the desert (to avoid being discovered by the religious police), an AWAC plane during the Gulf War detected his meeting. The religious police caught him in Riyadh, the capital, he says.
He was imprisoned, interrogated and flogged on every part of his body, even the bottom of his feet. He wasn’t told the charges against him until his trial: blasphemy.
Oswaldo despaired. Interrogators demanded the names of his converts and associates in spreading the Gospel.
“Eventually I was so weak, they placed the pad of paper in my lap, and they forced the pencil into my hand,” Oswaldo said in Christianity Today. “I was weeping, and I said, ‘Lord, you’ve got to help me here,’ and I began to write the names of Billy Graham, Charles Spurgeon, and others. After a few days, they were so mad, because they’d been all over Saudi Arabia looking for those people.”
He was to be hung on Christmas Day, a date selected to mock his faith. Not only the Philippines appealed to King Fahd, but also the US, the UN, Amnesty International, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, and the Pope.
The church was praying, both outside and inside Saudi Arabia. His Saudi converts did a biblical Jericho-like march around the Kaaba.
Pastor Wally’s supporters did a Jericho march — around the Kaaba.
Muslims march around the Kaaba as part of their religion. It is the most holy site in Islam. But when the Christian Saudis did it, under cover, they were signifying that Islam could not withstand the God of the Bible.
It worked. With only hours before the execution, King Fahd ordered Oswaldo’s release at midnight. Military personnel came to rescue him and escort him out. He and his wife had to leave the country within 24 hours.
Oswaldo – who goes by Wally – has not been back since. He tried to visit in 2022, but was denied an entry visa. Oswaldo and his wife hope to get into the country eventually and start telephoning their old contacts. Oswaldo believes he can get a meeting with MBS, at which he wants to present the gospel.
Ever since it discovered oil and became flush with cash, Saudi Arabia has used foreign labor for a full range of menial jobs. Some of those workers are Christian tent makers, like Paul, using their worldly skills to advance the Gospel where traditional missionaries are shut out.
Recently the tent makers have been joined by tourists. In an attempt to pivot away from an all-oil economy, Saudi Arabia is now wooing tourists. Who would have guessed that Christians would be among the first to come?
They visit the site where some believe Moses received the 10 commandments, Jebel al-Lawz, in northwestern Saudi Arabia, near the Gulf of Aqaba — and they pray.
(1) According to the Quran and Islamic historical sources, Abraham (Ibrahim) and his son Ishmael (Ismail) traveled to the site where Mecca now stands, built the Kaaba, and established monotheistic worship there. However, this narrative does not appear in the Hebrew Bible or other Jewish or Christian sources.
(2) According to Joshua Project, the percentage of Christian adherents in Saudi Arabia is 4.02% and the percentage of Evangelicals is 0.53%. The Evangelical annual growth rate is 4.3%, higher than the global growth rate of 2.6%.
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Students at Mississippi State University say their lives are forever changed after experiencing “God’s love at work” during a massive worship event Monday.
Unite US reports that nearly 6,000 students worshipped together at Humphrey Coliseum on Oct.1.
The night was marked by powerful prayer, repentance, water baptisms, and an atmosphere “like Heaven.”
“Jesus met us tonight in Humphrey Coliseum,” the group wrote on Instagram. “Nearly 6,000 students worshipped together, confessed to sin that had been holding them back, and experienced freedom that can only be found in Him.”
An international evangelist says “revival in Germany” is breaking out as hundreds of people are getting “saved, delivered, healed, [and] baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Thousands of young people packed the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany for the Fire Festival over the weekend to praise, worship, and hear the Word of God.
“After a short preaching of the ABC of The Gospel by my dear friend David Rotärmel hundreds upon hundreds of young people came at the altar to give their lives to Jesus,” shared international evangelist Jean-Luc Trachsel. “Truly it’s harvest time in Europe like here in Stuttgart, Germany.”
The Fire Festival kicked off on Oct 2 and ended on October 5 with a “Jesus March” through Stuttgart.
Europe Shall Be Saved partnered with Holy Spirit Night for the event to reach Germany with the Gospel “through young revivalists who will influence the different spheres of society for the Kingdom of God.”
Trachsel, the founder of Jean-Luc Trachsel Ministries, shared footage of the gathering where attendees were “saved, delivered, healed, and baptized.”
“[The] last time I’ve seen and experienced this…was at the Brownsville revival in Pensacola almost 30 years ago. Today it’s here in Europe,” he shared in a reel of people being baptized in a pool.
“I’ve seen with my own eyes thousands of people getting saved and today it’s water baptisms in a glorious and joyful atmosphere,” he added.
Christ for all Nations continues evangelism and revival in Africa with multiple thousands giving their lives to God and being discipled by local churches.
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More during 2024
September report from Middle East
Jesus continues to appear to hundreds or thousands in the Middle East.
Former Hezbollah Fighter Recalls Supernatural Encounter with Jesus that Changed Everything
“One day, as I’m praying, a man appears in front of me – normal size, but his being shines like light. This light is not a normal light. This light carried identity in it. And you knew that he is holy, and instantaneously I knew I am not. Even though I had prayed so many prayers, even though I had fasted so much and I had read the Koran and I had volunteered to work on landmines or I had participated in hanging people trying to please Allah, I knew, even though I have kept all the rules and regulation of Islam, I knew I am not just and I’m not holy…” he recalled.
Dr. Ahmed Joktan, who was beaten and scarred, had a gun put to his head, for converting to Christianity, hides his identity still because the danger is still there.
In Mecca – the crown jewel of Islam — immediately after he read the Koran and prayed to Allah during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Ahmed Joktan, the son of a grand mufti, was visited by Jesus in a dream.
“In my dream, the balcony opened up, there was this light, and I heard a voice saying, ‘Come to me,’” Ahmed says on a Gateways Christian Fellowship video.
Ahmed converted to Christ in New Zealand where he was studying English. He now lives in the West. Hundreds of thousands of other Saudis who converted remain in Saudi Arabia, boldly serving the Lord at the risk of being hanged.
Saudi Arabia is iron-clad closed to the gospel. Evangelizing is illegal. Bibles are outlawed. Apostasy is punishable by death. Non-Muslims are not even allowed in Mecca, where Muslims believe Mohammad received his visions and Abraham once lived.(1)
Oswaldo Magdangal led a church in Saudi Arabia for 11 years.
Despite the risks, Christianity is burgeoning, even approaching 10%2 of the population, says Oswaldo Magdangal, who pastored an underground church for 11 years as a Filipino worker. He was caught and almost hanged in 1992.
“Saudi Arabia has the largest secret congregation in the world, and it’s mainly Saudi citizens,” Oswaldo told God Reports. The younger generation is especially open to the Gospel. “Christianity is all over, in Mecca, Riyadh, but the biggest growth is in Jeddah.”
Is revival happening in the underground church?
“Saudi Arabia’s rate of Christian growth is about 65% greater than the global average,” says Bruce Allen, with Forgotten Missionaries International, using statistics from Joshua Project. “Just because we hear that a government is closed to the gospel doesn’t mean the hearts of the people are.” (2)
Until the new Crown Prince took over in 2017, Saudi Arabia was the home of one of the most extremist brands of Islam, Wahhabism. Of the 19 hijackers involved in 9/11, 15 were Saudi nationals and most of them followed the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam. Osama bin Ladin was Saudi and influenced by several extremist ideologies, including Wahhabism. School children have been taught in Saudi schools to fight the West.
But when Mohammad bin Salman took over, he liberalized the kingdom significantly. Fanatical clerics were jailed, preachers were told to tone down their messages, women were allowed to drive, schoolbooks were re-written to encourage moderate faith.
Most importantly, the religious police were stripped of their authority.
Wally Magdangal
Negotiations are ongoing to build churches on the peninsula; if neighboring United Arab Emirates has allowed compounds to open for churches, why not Saudi Arabia? There are now Bible printing houses (printing in Tagalog and in English), Oswaldo says.
But on the downside, congregations still can’t rent hotel conference rooms or public buildings, he adds.
“There is a major increase in church attendance, particularly among the younger generation,” Oswaldo says. “There are now Saudi pastors.”
From the Philippines, Oswaldo worked as a guest worker in charge of civilian employees for the Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia. His wife worked in the Armed Forces Hospital. They had good connections.
But their connections were not good enough to save him from the religious police. When he was holding services in the desert (to avoid being discovered by the religious police), an AWAC plane during the Gulf War detected his meeting. The religious police caught him in Riyadh, the capital, he says.
He was imprisoned, interrogated and flogged on every part of his body, even the bottom of his feet. He wasn’t told the charges against him until his trial: blasphemy.
Oswaldo despaired. Interrogators demanded the names of his converts and associates in spreading the Gospel.
“Eventually I was so weak, they placed the pad of paper in my lap, and they forced the pencil into my hand,” Oswaldo said in Christianity Today. “I was weeping, and I said, ‘Lord, you’ve got to help me here,’ and I began to write the names of Billy Graham, Charles Spurgeon, and others. After a few days, they were so mad, because they’d been all over Saudi Arabia looking for those people.”
He was to be hung on Christmas Day, a date selected to mock his faith. Not only the Philippines appealed to King Fahd, but also the US, the UN, Amnesty International, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, and the Pope.
The church was praying, both outside and inside Saudi Arabia. His Saudi converts did a biblical Jericho-like march around the Kaaba.
Pastor Wally’s supporters did a Jericho march — around the Kaaba.
Muslims march around the Kaaba as part of their religion. It is the most holy site in Islam. But when the Christian Saudis did it, under cover, they were signifying that Islam could not withstand the God of the Bible.
It worked. With only hours before the execution, King Fahd ordered Oswaldo’s release at midnight. Military personnel came to rescue him and escort him out. He and his wife had to leave the country within 24 hours.
Oswaldo – who goes by Wally – has not been back since. He tried to visit in 2022, but was denied an entry visa. Oswaldo and his wife hope to get into the country eventually and start telephoning their old contacts. Oswaldo believes he can get a meeting with MBS, at which he wants to present the gospel.
Ever since it discovered oil and became flush with cash, Saudi Arabia has used foreign labor for a full range of menial jobs. Some of those workers are Christian tent makers, like Paul, using their worldly skills to advance the Gospel where traditional missionaries are shut out.
Recently the tent makers have been joined by tourists. In an attempt to pivot away from an all-oil economy, Saudi Arabia is now wooing tourists. Who would have guessed that Christians would be among the first to come?
They visit the site where some believe Moses received the 10 commandments, Jebel al-Lawz, in northwestern Saudi Arabia, near the Gulf of Aqaba — and they pray.
(1) According to the Quran and Islamic historical sources, Abraham (Ibrahim) and his son Ishmael (Ismail) traveled to the site where Mecca now stands, built the Kaaba, and established monotheistic worship there. However, this narrative does not appear in the Hebrew Bible or other Jewish or Christian sources.
(2) According to Joshua Project, the percentage of Christian adherents in Saudi Arabia is 4.02% and the percentage of Evangelicals is 0.53%. The Evangelical annual growth rate is 4.3%, higher than the global growth rate of 2.6%.
If you want to know more about a personal relationship with God, go here
Related articles:
Brother Rachid went homeless for two years in Morocco for accepting Christ.
7th Century coins expose fabrications of Islam’s history
Does Islam plan to take over Europe with violence?
Sharia law in London is practiced locally and internally.
About this writer: Daniel Corado studies at the Lighthouse Christian Academy in Santa Monica.
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College revivals in America in 2024
Tens of thousands of American university and college students are continuing to attend campus revival meetings across the country nearly 20 months after the 16-days of non-stop worship, prayer, repentance and testimonies at Asbury University in Kentucky set the fires blazing for a national revival movement among tertiary students.
In the fourth major collegiate revival in less than a month, thousands of students recently gathered at a University of Arkansas event to seek Jesus Christ and find salvation in His name. It was organised by the Unite US movement which reports that around 10,000 students from 67 different universities gathered at a stadium in the city of Fayetteville.
“Jesus met us there. We were blown away by His presence in the room and how it carried over to baptisms. It was a night we’ll never forget,” the ministry posted on social media.
CBN News reports how one young man shared his powerful testimony right before being baptised at the event, saying: “I spent a lot of years running from God. I just came to Jesus about five weeks ago, but I got caught up in, I’ll just say it, cocaine and alcohol. I had a lot of really near-death experiences and I think Jesus had his hand on my life because I should not be here.”
“This was one of the most incredible nights of my life. I want to give praise and thanks to God who moved in ways we’ve never seen. Watching 10,000 students worship together on their college campus was something to behold,” declared evangelist Tonya Prewett.
Earlier this month, Unite US movement also showed up at a University of South Carolina event where hundreds of the the 4,000 students who attended were baptised in a landmark library fountain in the city of Columbia. “I cannot get over last night’s Unite event at the University of South Carolina. Students ran to the altar before an altar call was given. Hundreds made a decision to follow Jesus and hundreds were baptised. God is moving on college campuses,” Ms. Prewett posted.
She added that more than 2,000 salvations and 800 baptisms have taken place through the Unite US campus events since they began at Alabama’s Auburn University one year ago.
“I believe this is the generation that will usher in the greatest move of God we’ve ever seen, and we’re seeing that. I do believe what we had in the fall and the spring of this past year is just the beginning. Greater things are coming, and I feel for the end of this year and leading into 2025, something greater is coming. God is doing something across this nation. I do believe this move of God on college campuses is ushering in a greater awakening,” the evangelist asserted in a recent podcast.
Every gathering has three main objectives:
SALVATION
For non-believers to hear a clear presentation of the Gospel in a welcoming environment. Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9
FREEDOM
For believers to know and experience true freedom from sin and burdens on their hearts. Galatians 5:1
COMMUNITY
For students to find community and discipleship through connection to local ministries and the local church. Ephesians 4:1-6
CBN News reports the campus revival is not just happening at Unite US events. There was a powerful movement of God at a church-organised outreach at the Corpus Christi campus of Texas A&M University.
Pastors Michael and Bonnie Fehlauer of New Life Church posted: “Nearly 1500 students last night at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. 62 water baptisms. Powerful testimonies. Many physically healed and delivered! Jesus is Lord. And He is coming back.”
Revival broke out at Ohio State University during the last week in August with hundreds of colleges students showing deep hunger for God ahead of the new academic year.
The Lantern student newspaper reported the event was led by members of the school’s football team who preached the gospel before 800-1,000 people. By the end of the night, an estimated 60 students chose to get baptised in four tubs of water near the stage.
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Revival at Ohio State University
And a huge revival broke out at The Ohio State University during the last week in August 2024 with hundreds of colleges students showing deep hunger for God as the new school year kicked off.
A team of student reporters from The Lantern newspaper reports the event was led by members of the school’s football team who preached the gospel before 800-1,000 people. Some campus ministries and churches helped to organize it.
By the end of the night, an estimated 60 students chose to get baptized into the Christian faith in four tubs of water near the stage.
Over 4,000 students gathered to lift the name of Jesus at Colonial Life Arena, and hundreds of students made the life-changing decision to follow Jesus. Many were also baptized in the Thomas Cooper Library Fountain afterward.
“God moved. Students were set free. Unite South Carolina was UNREAL,” the Unite US ministry posted.
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Revival at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi
And it’s not just happening at Unite US events. Multiple outbreaks of revival have taken place in the past weeks and months through other ministries. In one example from a church in Texas, God moved powerfully on the Corpus Christi campus of Texas A&M University. [September 2024]
A campus gathering organized by New Life Young Adults just two weeks ago drew more than a thousand students to hear the gospel.
Pastors Michael and Bonnie Fehlauer of New Life Church posted, “Nearly 1500 students last night Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi… 62 water baptisms… Powerful testimonies… Many physically healed and delivered! Jesus is Lord….. and He is coming back.”
PHOTO: Revival event at the University of Arkansas (Photo credit: Unite US/Jennie Allen)
In the fourth major collegiate revival in less than a month, thousands of students gathered at the University of Arkansas on Thursday night to seek Jesus Christ and find salvation in His name.
Unite US reports that 10,000 students from 67 different universities gathered in Bud Walton Arena.
“Jesus met us there,” the ministry said in an Instagram post. “We were blown away by His presence in the room and how it carried over to baptisms. It was a night we’ll never forget.”
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” — Mark 16:15
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