Russell Association sees God move at tent revival

Russell Association sees God move at tent revival

Marty Holley said he’s heard people say tent revivals are a thing of the past, but he doesn’t really buy it.

“Tent or no tent, it doesn’t matter where you are when God shows up,” he said with a laugh.

Holley, director of missions for Russell Baptist Association, saw several hundred people make decisions for Christ during a tent revival held Nov. 5–9 in the Seale community. The gathering drew crowds of up to 2,000 each night, with dozens making decisions to follow Jesus.

But once again, Holley emphasized — you may be surprised where God shows up. The planning committee sure was.
“The revival started before we ever got to the tent Sunday night,” he said.

Evangelist Ken Freeman, the speaker for the event, preached in the two morning services at Golden Acres Baptist Church, Phenix City, and 60 people made salvation decisions.

“I think the pastor was overwhelmed,” Holley said.

That spirit carried over into the tent services each night, where Freeman preached and the Akins provided the music.

The vision for the event first started when Richie Ashburn, pastor of Silver Run Baptist Church, Seale, read an article in The Alabama Baptist in 2016 about a tent revival held in Monroeville. The article quoted revival organizers describing the event as “electric” and “unifying” as well as emphasizing the importance of bathing it in prayer ahead of time.

“He envisioned that for Russell County, so 10 of us got together to pray about it,” Holley said.

By the next week’s meeting, they had 30, and the following week 40 showed up, pastors from across denominational and racial lines.

Power at the Point

“During those three weeks, we prayed and brainstormed and felt like God was calling us to have this event,” Holley said.

They called it Power at the Point, because the tent was pitched in a corner lot that came to a point between two highways in Seale. The total number of decisions from the week’s events landed at 390.

“It’s exciting. It’s been awesome,” he said. “God has heard our cry for revival. It’s been a powerful move of God, and we hope it spreads across Alabama and the nation.” (Grace Thornton)