On Wednesday, Feb. 16, what began as a normal chapel service quickly turned into an extraordinary move of God, causing hundreds of students to respond in various ways. Responses included sharing encouragement and scripture, confessing sins, kneeling at the altar for prayer, and even inviting Jesus to be Lord of their life for the first time.

The service went until about 5:30 p.m., but the response from students didn’t end there. Over the next week, students continued to organize worship services and participated in spontaneous Bible studies and discussions in residence halls and classrooms.

Additionally, many alumni, parents and friends of the college were affected by the Feb. 16 service as they watched the live video feed online. Word spread through social media channels, and statistics for Bethel’s website, Facebook page and Twitter feed spiked as people tuned in to find out more. According to website analytics, people from nearly every state and 17 countries watched the live chapel feed.

Dennis Engbrecht, Ph.D., senior vice president, and Shawn Holtgren, Ph.D., vice president for student development, have spearheaded efforts to provide follow-up and guidance to students. Nearly 200 students signed up for discipleship groups, led by 32 faculty and staff volunteers.

Whether or not this can be officially classified as a revival, it is very clear that the Holy Spirit is at work on Bethel’s campus. Please join us in praying that this outpouring will be a catalyst for change, not only on our campus, but also in churches, the community and other colleges and universities.

For more information about these events, visit click here. This page contains several updates from Engbrecht, including a video summary and an interview on The Harvest Show. It also has a comprehensive listing of other blog posts, reflections and testimonies shared by faculty, staff, students and alumni.