'A Revival Is Happening': Hundreds Choose Christ at Auburn, Get Spontaneously Baptized in a Lake
God is moving on college campuses across the country. Revival hit campuses like Asbury University, Lee University, and Samford University, earlier this year. And now Auburn University students are testifying that God moved at an event earlier this week that still has them "speechless and in awe."
Thousand of students at Auburn packed out Neville Arena on Tuesday night to worship and praise Jesus, but an impromptu baptism that started with one student wanting to be baptized grew to roughly 200 people who decided to give their lives to Christ.
"I've seen Auburn basketball beat Kentucky. I've seen Auburn football beat Alabama, but I have never seen something like I did Tuesday night," Auburn University senior Michael Floyd told WFSA12 News.
More than 5,000 people showed up to Unite Auburn's "Night of Worship". The campus ministry's outreach was created to bring the Alabama school's Christian community together for a night of worship. It featured guest speakers New York Times Best Selling Author Jennie Allen and Pastor Jonathan Pokluda and worship was led by Passion Music.
Allen shared on Instagram that toward the end of the night, she felt led to ask students if they wanted to be baptized.
"I finished a message at Auburn and was off stage and a student texted the pastor beside me they wanted to be baptized tonight. So I went back on stage and asked if anyone else wanted to trust Christ and be baptized," she explained.
"Dozens raised their hands," Allen added.
There wasn't a tub to baptize the students, so thousands of people headed over to a lake at Auburn's Red Barn.
"They circled the lake and 6-10 of us were in the water baptizing hundreds," Allen described.
Even Auburn's head football coach Hugh Freeze got in the water to help, WSFA12 reports.
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"People surrounded the lake 'til almost midnight hearing the stories of life change and shouting and cheering and praying together. God is moving and He isn't stopping," Allen said.
Those who attended the event describe it as incredible.
"I've been a part of just planning this event and man, the Lord just took it from there and we ended up at the Red Barn," Jeremy Napier, the chaplain for the Auburn men's basketball team, told The Gazette. "It was not planned at all. I think this was a spontaneous decision at the very end where we just said, 'Let's go for it.'"
Auburn student and journalist, Kristen Carr, witnessed the entire thing and told WFSA12 News it was something she had never seen before.
"Never in my life," she expressed. "I was even talking to adults who were there and they said they had never witnessed anything like that."
Video shows the large crowd gathered at the very edge of the lake. Cheers erupt every time someone emerges from the water.
"A revival is happening tonight in Auburn. People are getting baptized at Red Barn with hundreds of people cheering them on. The baptisms started following an event at Neville Arena tonight called Unite," Carr shared on the X site, formerly Twitter.
A revival is happening tonight in Auburn. People are getting baptized at Red Barn with hundreds of people cheering them on. The baptisms started following an event at Neville arena tonight called Unite. @TheAUPlainsman @AUFAMILY pic.twitter.com/PzEza1UWKz
— Kristen Carr (@kristencarrau) September 13, 2023
Napier says Tuesday night serves as an example that nothing is impossible with God.
"We serve an awesome God who can do amazing things. My prayer obviously is that all these decisions were genuine decisions and heart change. It's awesome to do it in this environment, but now is where things get tough," Napier said.
He is encouraging those who got baptized to get plugged into a local church. Floyd believes that will not be hard.
"This is just a message of unity. And when you are a part of the Body of Christ, you are never alone," he said.
Allen shared that this is the start of something bigger.
"God is doing something on Auburn's campus," Allen told The Observer. "This was a part of a bigger story that's happening here."
