The Call is planning for an all-day revival gathering at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with hopes for a revival like that of the Azusa Street Revival that took place on 1906, and Korean Christians have been invited to kick off the gathering.
"We're not looking for an event," said Lou Engle, the founder of The Call. "We want a breakthrough."
Lou Engle, the founder of The Call.
The Call has hosted numerous gatherings of fasting and prayer over the years for youth and young adults, including one that took place in Washington, D.C. that gathered some 400,000 people in the year 2000.
The upcoming gathering, called 'Azusa Now,' is set to take place on April 9 from 7:30 AM to 10 PM, and has a slight "shift" in focus, according to Engle. Whereas previous gatherings hosted by The Call focused on prayer and fasting, the upcoming gathering will also focus on "the preaching of the gospel, and signs and wonders," Engle said.
Yet another aspect that sets this upcoming gathering apart from the previous gatherings hosted by The Call is its intentional focus on gathering an ethnically diverse group. Just as the Azusa Street Revival in the early 20th century brought together African American and White Americans, Engle said, unity within the church across races and denominations must occur for revival today.
"Somewhere between 1909-1913, William Seymour prophesied that in 100 years another wave of revival would come that far eclipsed what took place at the original Azusa Street Revival," said Azusa Now organizers in a statement.
"We are asking the Holy Spirit to truly and deeply unite Anglo, African American, Asian, Hispanic, Native American -- every tribe and tongue -- in a holy, historic convocation where once again, surrounded by crisis and division in our land, it could truly be said: 'The blood of Jesus washed away the color line at Azusa!'" organizers continue. "Only a united church can heal a divided nation!"
Various ethnic groups will be leading different segments of the upcoming gathering. Korean Christians specifically will be leading the first segment of the day in Korean from 7:30 to 8:10 AM, and translation will be provided through devices throughout the entire course of the day.
"Revival is not an option for us," Engle said, "and we ask that the Korean church bring its redemptive gift. Lead us in the morning with your gift."
Organizers hosted a press conference for Korean media on Monday in Los Angeles.
Azusa Now organizers decided to reach out to the Korean church leaders after encountering them and seeing them pray at numerous prayer gatherings that took place over the past several years in partnership with 'Line in the Sand,' including the most recent prayer gathering that Korean church leaders hosted in November of 2015, where Engle participated as one of the speakers.
"Those who were part of the Azusa Street Revival or the Pyongyang Revival would not have known the future impact of what they were a part of," said Reverend Yu Chul Chin, the senior pastor of Los Angeles Full Gospel Church. "But the obedience of each person at that time led to an event marked in history. We also don't know what will happen through this, but we simply desire to serve in hopes that God will carry out what He desires to do through this."
The evening portion of the day, from 4 to 10 PM, will be evangelistic, and focused on preaching the gospel and praying for healing, according to organizers. Starting March 28, organizers are planning to mobilize at least 3,000 people to reach out to the community and bring them to the April 9 event through one-on-one evangelism and prayer, revitalization of outdoor spaces in public housing developments in South East L.A., community BBQs and festivals in South East L.A., after school outreaches at public high schools, and an event with Nick Vujicic on April 1.
Some 38,000 have registered for Azusa Now thus far, according to organizers. Though the event is free, organizers encouraged those who are interested to register in advance.
Organizers and local ministry and church leaders prayed for the upcoming Azusa Now event at the conference on Monday.
