Culture

Asbury Non-Stop Services Moving to ‘Another Location,’ School Says

Super User 5:44PM February 20, 2023

The site of continual worship and prayer on campus for nearly two weeks, Asbury University says it is moving its non-stop services to “another location in the central Kentucky area.”

The final public evening service was held Sunday. But public worship will continue in the afternoons through Wednesday at 2 p.m., Asbury announced over the weekend.

Asbury’s Facebook page announced that the concluding public worship service of this recent outpouring on the Asbury University campus was scheduled for Monday at 2 p.m.

“Beginning Tuesday, services available to the public will be held at another location in the central Kentucky area. Asbury will host evening services for college-age and high school students (25 and under) through Thursday, Feb. 23,” the Facebook announcement read.

“On Sunday, the university, in consultation with local law enforcement and city administration notified incoming visitors that parking and seating had exceeded capacity. Asbury will live stream limited portions of services at asbury.edu/outpouring through Thursday, Feb. 23. Live streaming from cell phones is still prohibited in Hughes Auditorium.

People from across the United States and around the world had made the trek to the small northeastern Kentucky community of Wilmore (population just over 6,000). Tens of thousands of people have descended upon Wilmore, and WKYT reported that cars lined the streets of the town for blocks to “illustrate the widespread interest the spontaneous revival has attracted.”

The Asbury Revival began on Feb. 8 as a regular worship service and the Holy Spirit simply took over.

“We just had some people arrive from Finland, from the Netherlands. They have been coming from all over the country,” Asbury’s Communications Director Abby Laub told WKYT.

As reported by Charisma News, Asbury University President Dr. Kevin J. Brown announced that the ongoing services would come to an end, and that there must be balanced between this “historic” move of the Holy Spirit and the students’ academic experience.

“We recognize life for the students had to return to normal, they have to go to school, they have midterms next week,” Laub told WKYT.com. “They know this is a gift, they have received it as a gift, so we are going to change them with now you take this to your job, your family, your church.”

Bobby Singh, who owns and operates a Shell gas station across the street from the Asbury campus, said the community never expected the volume of this crowd, and it’s causing concerns among locals when it comes to public safety.