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"AN APPALACHIAN DAWN" - THE REMARKABLE REVIVAL IN KENTUCKY
"Manchester, City of Hope," Kentucky
Population 2,200by Ben Mutti
Isolated in the heartland of Appalachia, the city of Manchester, Kentucky, appeared to be the unlikeliest place for societal breakthrough to occur. Located in Clay County, any attempt to “change” the dysfunctional way of life was considered futile. With the decline of the coal and salt industry, and their best years seemingly behind them, a 1964 CBS news report gave Manchester the dubious distinction “Depressed City, USA.” Forty years later, Clay County still could not escape from its “backward” stereotype, being listed as the sixth poorest county in the United States.
And that was not all! In 2001, the Drug Enforcement Agency included Manchester in a region listed as the “Painkiller Capital of America.” This notorious nickname did not bode well for a county that actually had more people residing in prison than people residing in the county seat. While Clay County's outcast image has always been a hard pill for the area to swallow, its outlaw image has always been widely renowned. In a TV exposé by the HistoryChannel on Clay's family feuds, it was reported that four local clans killed more than ten times the number of family members than those killed in the infamous Hatfield and McCoy rivalry. This prevailing mountain man mentality, along with a sectarian church mindset, furthered the notion that Clay County resembled the O.K. Corral. The community was devoid of all hope. That is until May 2, 2004, when 63 churches and 3,500 people united together as community catalysts to march against drugs. Like troops advancing upon a city, these civic pilgrims for progress joined together under the direction of church leaders who publicly repented before GOD for their lack of civic involvement. Their slogan was, "Get Saved or Get Busted!" Suddenly, a pulse could be felt; hope had been resuscitated. Many felt this climactic prayer event helped break the vice-like grip of drug addiction that had tormented daily life. The following year, Manchester became the only area in the region where painkiller prescriptions actually decreased. Beyond that, drug arrests would increase by a staggering 300 percent. Where favoritism, fraud, and extortion were once the law of the land, government corruption would soon be uncovered. Within three years, public officials, including the mayor, the city supervisor, the assistant police chief, the 911 Director, the fire chief, the circuit court judge, a handful of city councilmen, county commissioners and county clerks, would all be exposed and jailed for racketeering, distributing drugs, and voter fraud. As newfound stakeholders in society, churches and citizens partnered together with law enforcement to root out this crime and corruption. In fact, a court watch program was initiated by the churches, and with the help of their Congressman, a local Jesus-based rehabilitation center was completed in 2008. As a result, a profound optimism had instantly been injected into everyday life. Local drug dealers soon began surrendering their lives to Jesus and getting delivered from drug addiction. This fresh adrenaline also caused high-ranking officials like the new mayor and the sheriff to begin advancing the kingdom cause of Christ in their respective spheres of influence. According to Sheriff Kevin Johnson, the church partnership with the police was “the best thing to happen to Clay County.” Furthermore, this uncommon collaboration, “Operation: Unite,” has become the model for the entire state. Consequently, in 2007, the city council voted to change the name of the city to “Manchester: City of Hope.” As a result, this obscure community has become a regional influence, receiving desperate calls from 49 different states, and five foreign nations, all soliciting Clay Countians for guidance in their battle against drugs. Not only are students now being drug tested in school, Bible elective courses are also being offered in high school. Meanwhile, Clay County was chosen as having the model-reading program for children in the state in 2008, significant for a region traditionally plagued with high illiteracy rates. Remarkably, in the Fall of 2009, with bated - breath, the city announced that a recycling company would be coming to Manchester, bringing a breathtaking 1,400 new jobs; this despite the rest of the nation stumbling through a global recession. Last, but not least, located near the Kingdom Come National Park, Clay County now possesses one of the largest Rocky Mountain Elk populations in the country; and with turkey, bear, and deer populations making a comeback, a new campground and new bike trail accent a tourist industry on the upswing. Manchester city water was even chosen in 2008 as having the best tasting water in a statewide competition. In fact, the local water treatment plant is now selling “Hope Water” as a commercial product. With this unusual avalanche of events, there is no question that Manchester’s cup of blessing is running over. What seemed like a mountain that was insurmountable is now becoming possible with GOD. Ironically, a community once considered "behind the times" has now become a compelling story for our times. |
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When a sleeping child must be awakened, a loving parent takes
him by the shoulders and gently shakes him. If the child doesn't
wake up immediately, the shaking becomes a bit firmer. The
parent insists, because he knows the child will suffer if he doesn't
wake up on time.
That is precisely what God is doing right now-both to America
and to the world. At first, He shook us very tenderly but now His
shaking has become violent, because He has not succeeded in
awakening us.
The Lord began to literally shake the earth with earthquakes in
the late 1980s. A quake in Armenia wiped out almost that entire
province. A quake in Japan measuring 6.9 nearly destroyed an
entire city. Then came the horrible quake in San Francisco, with
more following almost daily in that area. Quakes hit the West
Coast constantly, from northern California to San Diego and
down into Mexico.
Isaiah prophesies that God will one day rise up and shake the
whole earth: "Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty . . . and
turneth it upside down. . . . All joy is darkened, the mirth of the
land is gone. . . . When thus it shall be in the midst of the land
among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree"
(Isaiah 24:1, 11, 13). God is going to shake the earth as if it were
an olive tree-till every bit of fruit falls.
Ezekiel says that when God's fury arises, He will shake all that
can be shaken: "All the men that are upon the face of the earth,
shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown
down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to
the ground. . . . And I will be known in the eyes of many nations,
and they shall know that I am the Lord" (Ezekiel 38:20 and 23).
The writer of Hebrews says: "Yet once more I shake not the earth
only, but also heaven. . . . That [only] those things which cannot
be shaken may remain" (Hebrews 12:26-27).
God is going to shake everything in sight so that He is revealed
as the only unshakable power!
GEORGE WHITEFIELD BLAZES ACROSS AMERICA
THE FIRST GREAT AWAKENING
extracts by Eddie Hyatt.
George Whitefield (1714–1770) was uniquely prepared for his role
as the firebrand of the Great Awakening that would bring all the
individual flames of revival together into one blazing inferno of Divine
Awakening... At Oxford he had come under the tutelage of John
and Charles Wesley and had experienced a dramatic conversion
that forever changed his life. His gifted preaching ability drew great
crowds and quickly launched him into leadership, along with the
Wesleys, of the Methodist revival in England. Having eyes that
were crossed, his critics poked fun at him calling him Dr. Squintum.
Sensing a Divine call to America, he departed England in August
of 1739 with a burden for the colonists and a prayer that they would
not live as thirteen scattered colonies, but as “one nation under
God.” As he travelled up and down the eastern seaboard, shop-
keepers closed their doors, farmers left their plows, and workers
threw down their tools to hurry to the place where he was to preach.
Crowds of 8-10 thousand were common. At a time when the
population of Boston was estimated at 25,000, Whitefield preached
to an estimated crowd of 30,000 on the Boston Common. Through
his incessant travels he became the best known and most
recognized figure in colonial America.
The Awakening Impacts all Segments of Society
Whitefield became a friend of Benjamin Franklin and stayed in his
home on at least one of his visits to America. Franklin’s testimony
of the power of the revival is particularly significant since he did
not profess to be a Christian. In his Autobiography, he tells of the
incredible change that came over his hometown of Philadelphia
when Whitefield came there on his first of seven visits to America.
He writes,
"In 1739 there arrived among us from Ireland the Reverend Mr.
Whitfield who made himself remarkable there as an itinerant
preacher. He was at first permitted to preach in some of our
churches, but the clergy, taking a dislike to him, soon refused
him their pulpits, and he was obliged to preach in the fields. The
multitudes of all sects and denominations that attended his sermons
were enormous, and it was a matter of speculation to me, who
was one of the number, to observe the extraordinary influence of
his oratory on his hearers. From being thoughtless or indifferent
about religion, it seemed as if all the world were growing religious
so that one could not walk through the town in an evening without
hearing psalms sung in different families of every street."
Franklin admits that he was skeptical of reports of Whitefield’s
preaching being heard by crowds of 25,000 and more. While
listening to Whitefield preach from the top of the Philadelphia
courthouse steps to a huge throng, Franklin, having an enquiring
and scientific mind, retired backward to see how far Whitefield’s
voice would reach. He then did some calculations and decided
that Whitefield’s voice, which he described as “loud and clear,”
could be heard by crowds of 30,000 and more.
The Awakening Touches All Sects & Denominations
Everywhere he went the Holy Spirit was poured out in great power.
On one occasion after preaching to a huge throng gathered outdoors,
Whitfield surveyed the crowd and noted the amazing response.
"Look where I would, most were drowned in tears. Some were
struck pale as death, others wringing their hands, others lying on
the ground, others sinking into the arms of their friends and most
lifting up their eyes to heaven and crying out to God." In Delaware
there was such an outpouring of God’s Spirit and grace that
Whitefield himself was overcome along with many of his audience.
Although a native of England, Whitefield became best known for
his ministry in America’s First Great Awakening. He loved America
and made seven visits to this land. A tireless worker, he travelled
incessantly from Georgia to Maine preaching primarily in the open
air and raising money for his beloved orphanage, Bethesda, which
he had founded in Georgia. He died during his final visit to America
at the age of 58, probably of congestive heart failure brought on
by fatigue.
The Significance of Whitfield’s Contribution
Whitfield’s contribution to the First Great Awakening was enormous.
More than any other person he, by his incessant travels, helped
make the Awakening a national event. It was the first time the
scattered colonists of various denominational and theological
persuasions had participated together in a single event.
Denominational walls were broken down and, for the first time,
they began to see themselves as a single people with one Divine
destiny—“one nation under God,” as Whitfield had prayed.
The preaching of Whitefield, Edwards, Frelinghuysen, the Tennents,
and others thus paved the way for nationhood. This is why Harvard
professor, William Perry, said, “The Declaration of Independence
of 1776 was a result of the evangelical preaching of the evangelists
of the Great Awakening.”
-From Chapter 5 of the book "GOD SHED HIS GRACE ON THEE"
-SOURCE - http://www.biblicalawakening.blogspot.com/
