April 18, 2024
VILLA RICA, Ga. – Localized revivals that have been popping up across Georgia don’t appear to be slowing.
More churches reported mass numbers of salvation decisions over the past week, including Villa Rica’s First Baptist Church where 53 people surrendered to Christ between Thursday and Saturday.
“We’re definitely seeing a move of God in Georgia like we haven’t seen in a long, long time,” said Villa Rica Pastor Kevin Williams.
Williams said God moved in a special way during his church’s Passion play called He Took My Place, written and directed by missions pastor Jeff Powell. The play spotlights Barrabas, a prisoner who was set free when Jesus was crucified, hence the title.
More than 4,000 people turned out for the play's four showings. At each one, Williams gave an invitation.
“You know who Barrabas is, right?” Williams would ask the crowd. “Barrabas is you. Barrabas is me. We’re all Barrabas. A great exchange took place at the cross. Because of the cross, you can your exchange your old life for a new one.”
Tim Williams, mission strategist in the Carrollton Baptist Association, said Antioch Baptist Church in Carrollton had 16 salvation decisions on Tuesday.
“Evangelistic events still work,” he said wrote in a Facebook post. “God is really blessing in a remarkable way.”
On Sunday, First Baptist Church in Pine Mountain had seven men to accept Christ and three others to recommit their lives to Christ. That was at a men’s steak dinner that was part of what the church billed as Awaken Weekend.
The week before, in the small town of Bowdon, more than 32 people made salvation decisions at a ministry outreach that drew some 900 people.
Several local churches worked together to organize the event – dubbed Love Loud Bowdon – that showered people with a variety of gifts ranging from appliances to groceries.
Georgia Baptist leaders began seeing localized revivals popping up all over the state last year, pushing up baptism numbers to 14,333 in 2022, an increase of nearly 2,000 form the previous year. And the revivals have continued into this year.
Since January, 119 college and university students have made salvation decisions, said Beverly Skinner, collegiate ministry catalyst for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.
The state’s Deaf ministries have also been impacted with five salvation decisions in recent weeks, a significant number in a state where 3.1 percent of the population live with hearing impairment.
Northside Baptist Church in Valdosta has seen 43 baptisms as of March and 67 since Christmas.
Others have seen big numbers of salvation decisions in single-day events or at multi-day events, including Pleasant Valley South Baptist Church in Silver Creek where 21 people made salvation decisions at sportsmen’s banquet last week, at Dudley Baptist Church where 42 people made salvation decisions, and a Hopeful Baptist Church in Camillia where 30 people made salvation decisions.
In February, 41 people surrendered to Christ at a wild game dinner in the fellowship hall at Bethel Baptist Church in Omega where some 400 men had gathered.
In January, First Baptist Church in Blackshear reported 19 professions of faith at a venison supper. Another 28 people recommitted their lives to Christ at that event.
And in north Georgia, Cassville Baptist Church began the new year with nine baptisms, the first sign that the spontaneous revivals were continuing into the new year.
