On October 31st 1904, in the tiny Welsh mining village of Loughor, the Holy Spirit moved on agroup of 16 young people at a prayer meeting led by a 26 year old aspiring preacher Evan Roberts. This was the moment when God chose to spark off a revival that led to around 150,000 conversions throughout Wales in the first 6 months alone.
I am not big on shrines and buildings, which is strange in someone who was an architect, but I have to say that as Mo and I stood and looked out from the pulpit where Evan Roberts had stood and preached, I was unexpectedly and profoundly moved. How amazing that God would take a humble but passionate young man from a tiny insignificant place and impact the whole world.
Two years later something similar was happening in a tiny storefront church in Azusa Street, Los Angeles through an equally humble and passionate black preacher William J Seymour.
These twin revivals spread around the world like wildfire and today Pentecostal and Charismatic believers number over half a billion souls (Wikepedia estimate).
We were with a group of students from River Church, Maidenhead who had chosen to make the three hour drive today as part of their BIG Year discipleship course. While we were in the schoolroom at Moriah Chapel where the young people met to pray it seemed natural to sing the hymn most closely associated with the revival as tears began to well up.
On the mount of crucifixion
Fountains opened deep and wide
Through the floodgates of God's mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide
Grace and peace like mighty rivers
Poured incessant from above
And heaven's peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love
Lord Jesus - thank you for taking Evan Roberts and using his simple obedience to impact the whole world - to impact ME!
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