The people of the U.S. state of West Virginia are experiencing revival and spiritual awakening that began in schools and have spread to towns, CBN News reports.
In the past few days, people are packing the Field House sports complex in Williamson crying out for God.
"That you would enter our hearts God, and touch every family associated with my school, Lord. You're going to break the chains," said one person at a recent gathering.
A girl in the crowd said, "This will only spread and no matter where people go, we will share it with the world, God."
According to Pastor Mitch Bias of the regional Church of God in Delbarton, prayer and desperation have caused the spiritual awakening especially among the youth.
"It's a climactic time," he said. "I think the many years of creating a spiritual vacuum inside of kids by not teaching them the true reality that there's a destiny in God—time plus chance, plus matter—has produced a vacuum on the inside."
He said people are in spiritual limbo.
"I think when they hear a message of hope it really speaks to them because they're kind of hanging in a spiritual limbo. And they press into it quickly to take it 'cause they know that's the truth," he said.
He believes what's happening is not about the church or religion but a God thing, adding that this phenomenon in West Virginia may spread to other states and countries.
The Regional Church of God dates back to Bias' preacher grandfather who swapped his job in the coal industry to become a full-time pastor at the urging of his father, who was also a minister.
"Son," he recalled his father saying, "If God has called you to preach, preach full time."
Bias said, "People simply didn't believe a larger church could survive because of the poor economy," according to the church's website.
It did not only survive but it prevailed in membership and lay ministry development.
The growth of the church's membership, Pastor Bias said, was inspired in part by what he called "a soul-winning breakthrough," following an evangelism conference where he first heard Brother Leonard Albert speak in 1975.
"It was in 1975 that Brother Albert fuelled a fire, inspiring Regina and me to train laity for personal evangelism. I remember coming home so fired up about winning lost people to Christ that I could hardly sleep. That conference was a pivotal time for me as a Christian witness," said Bias.
