Church Revival Rages

Church Revival At Laurel Goes Ten Weeks – 1300 Saved

Church Revival At Laurel Draws Capacity Crowds For A Month

By Charlotte Graham
Clarion-Ledger Religion Writer

Soft music rings out in the sanctuary of Highland Baptist Church, alerting worshipers the hour of worship is near. People hurry to the sanctuary from the foyer, hallways and parking lots.  Some scramble for the seats near the front and on the main floor.  Others search in the balcony.  A real church revival has started.

Before all are seated, the music swells and songs of praise ring out:  “The Lord reigns…Let the people be glad that our God reigns!”
The Rev. D. W. Sewell, pastor, is glad.  People from across south and central Mississippi are crowding in the 1,100 seat sanctuary nightly for the “Find ME Faithful” Crusade.  “It’s like nothing we have ever seen before,” says Sewell.

Since Feb. 1, the church has been filled to capacity.  Occasionally, ushers bring out extra chairs to accommodate the crowds.

Cindy Dickerson arrives at least 45 minutes before the service each night to find a good seat near the front of the church. On this night, she and a group of friends have to settle for the seventh row in the middle section of the sanctuary.  The first six rows of all three sections are reserved for the teens.

They take a seat and begin to laugh as they reminisce about past church services.  “I’ve been a member of this church for 40 years, and I have never come 45 minutes early before,” says Dickerson, 45.  I’ve never really rushed to get to the front before either.  I always had my place in the back of the church.

Dean Butler adds that most members once entered the church and looked for seating in the back.  “Now, everybody wants to sit in the front,” she says.  “Everybody is excited about what’s happening here.”

What’s happening is a Church revival of mammoth proportions.  Thousands attend services nightly, more than 530 have been converted and more than 775 have rededicated their lives.  Watch Videos From Laurel Revival.

“We have people from different socio-economic and racial backgrounds, as well as people of other denominations, worshiping with us,” says Sewell.

Coming Together

Black, white, Hispanic, Chinese and Korean people are attending the crusade.  Amanda Lee, a Chinese-American from Hattiesburg, says she is excited about it.  “When I read about the crusade in the Hattiesburg newspaper, I just had to be a part.  There is an outpouring of God’s spirit and love here.  You can see it on the faces of the people.  You can hear it in their testimonies.”

“This revival has just been awesome,” says Heather Tucker, 20.  A sophomore at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, she adds, “God has saved so many people, and so many have been reconciled to God.  I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Felicia Andrews, 16, a ninth-grader at Laurel’s R. H. Watkins High School, says the spirit of God has been so great, she wanted to invite all her classmates.  “I want people to come and get saved,” she says.  “I wanted them to be a part of this wonderful service.”

Walking The Walk

Evangelist William Blackburn of Fort Smith, Arkansas, crusade speaker, says many people are calling themselves Christians and are not living godly lives.  He says he wants the crusade to do more than add names to the church roster.  “We want lives to be changed,” says Blackburn.  “When a person really gets born again, his heart changes, his mind changes.  He is a new creation.”

The 1,800 member Highland Baptist Church is undergoing a rebirth, too, says Sewell.  “God is in the process of building a new spirituality in his church.  He is calling people out in an unusual way to do his work and be faithful to him.”

“In 27 years of ministry, I have seen the move of God before,” adds Sewell.  “There is a hunger in the people like I’ve never seen before.  It’s our goal to stay out of the way and let God work.  We recognize this as a holy movement initiated by Go.”

“Hallelujah!” shouts one man as the congregation sings:

Look what the Lord has done; He healed my body, He touched my mind, He saved me just in time…Look what the Lord has done.”

Others raise their hands and move them from side to side as they sing.  Truly, Look what the Lord has done!