Renowned evangelists, worship and baptisms remind students of their Spirit-empowered purpose
For two days, classes were canceled and students and faculty prepared their hearts for spiritual renewal as ORU held its annual Fall Revival, Oct. 22 and 23.
“I am always excited about our time of revival because it provides an opportunity to focus only on the Lord and His great love for us,” said Dr. Clarence Boyd, Dean of Spiritual Formation. “It also brings the ORU community together in a time of worship and seeking the face of God while we are exposed to some of the greatest speakers that God has raised up. This year was no exception.”
The university welcomed world-renowned evangelists, Rev. Daniel Kolenda and Rev. Reinhard Bonnke to speak at the services.
During the Wednesday session, Kolenda encouraged students to find a purpose worth giving their life to.
“I pray that you give your life away for something that matters,” Kolenda said. “The greatest tragedy is a wasted life. Many people live dead.”
Bonnke spoke at the Wednesday evening and Thursday morning sessions, and his message resonated with ORU senior Alejandro Cevallos.
“What I liked the most was when Reinhard Bonnke stated that through the Holy Spirit we can move mountains and that nobody is more qualified than the next to access the Holy Spirit,” Cevallos said. “That opened my eyes and helped me realize that no matter what occupation I decide to go into, the Lord will be with me.”
The event culminated with a baptism service that was open to all students.
ORU senior Elandra Dabney had no intention of being baptized when she entered Christ’s Chapel that morning, but as she sat through the service and heard Dr. William M. Wilson speak, she was moved to participate.
“During the week of revival God was dealing with my heart on drawing closer to Him and letting people in my life go. Once I came out of the water, I felt a burden being lifted off of my heart,” Dabney said. “Joy and tears filled my heart because at that moment I didn’t care what others thought. I didn’t care if I was going to be doing my spiritual walk by myself. All that mattered was it was me and God, and He is the best one to fulfill me.”
