Baylor FM72 prayer revival brings healing of all kinds

More than 20 Baylor University students were baptized on campus at Fountain Mall during FM72. (Courtesy Photo)

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One month after a spontaneous revival at Asbury University in Kentucky, a 72-hour prayer event at Baylor University resulted in more than 20 baptisms, a variety of public commitments to Christ and even reports of healing.

Baylor students gather for prayer during FM72. (Courtesy Photo)

FM72 drew students to a large prayer tent at Fountain Mall on the Baylor campus and to evening worship services March 19-22. Baylor University’s office of spiritual life coordinated the event, in partnership with area churches and campus ministries, including Baptist Student Ministries.

“Lord, teach us to pray,” was the theme of FM72 this year, based on Luke 11:1. Some students stayed in the prayer tent on Fountain Mall around-the-clock, praying for revival and spiritual renewal.

Unlike last year, when students gathered at McLane Stadium for event worship rallies, organizers purposefully chose to keep all of the 2023 FM72 events on Fountain Mall

“We felt like God was calling us to the heart of campus, with the campus at heart,” said Charles Ramsey, associate chaplain and director of campus ministries and church connections.

“We initially had planned to go big with national speakers,” Ramsey said. But when one invited speaker had a scheduling conflict, organizers decided instead to rely on preachers from local churches.

“These students are not interested in showmanship and celebrities,” he said. “They value authenticity.”

At one of the evening worship rallies, when Janet Ross, senior adult minister at Highland Baptist Church in Waco, was preaching on the necessity of repentance, it began drizzling.

“Nobody moved, even when it started raining,” Ramsey said.


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‘Not about emotionalism’

The 22 baptisms March 21 on Fountain Mall were not spur-of-the-moment decisions, he emphasized. Any student who desired baptism and had a relationship with a local church was required first to meet with a minister from the church.

Baptisms were performed by individuals acting under the authority of a local church, he said.

“It was not about emotionalism,” Ramsey said. “There’s a real depth to what has been going on here.”

Representatives from eight Waco-area churches were part of the 25-member planning team for FM72, and at least another seven congregations supported the prayer revival in different ways, he noted.

Over the course of 72 hours, students were invited to “linger in prayer,” take inventory of their spiritual condition and “experience God’s presence,” Ramsey said.

Reports of healing

Students testified to experiencing spiritual, emotional and relational healing during FM72. Some even reported incidents of physical healing.

Noah Rosenberg arrived at Fountain Mall on crutches, having seriously injured his knee in a skiing accident.

“I was in a lot of pain. I was barely sleeping,” Rosenberg said.

Several friends from his dormitory gathered around him to pray, asking God to heal their friend.

“The pain went away,” Rosenberg said.

His friends continued praying, and Rosenberg said he was able to stand and walk without crutches. He reported playing basketball and volleyball without discomfort in the days that followed.

‘I’m not special. I didn’t do anything to deserve this. I’m a sinner like anyone else,” Rosenberg said. “In no way is this about me. It’s about God and what he did for me.”

During the next evening’s worship service, Rosenberg publicly testified to what God had done in his life. After he spoke, other students prayed for friends with a variety of needs, and several reported healing experiences.

Ross from Highland Baptist—who served 31 years as a missionary in South Africa and Israel—recalled one student who removed a brace from his shoulder and sling from his arm after he said God restored mobility he lacked previously.

“He said: ‘I’m a Southern Baptist. I don’t believe in this kind of thing. But I’ve been healed,’” Ross recalled.

‘A sense of expectancy’

Baylor University students gathered for 72 hours of prayer and worship at Fountain Mall during FM72. (Courtesy Photo)

With the encouragement of ministers from Waco-area churches and campus ministries, Baylor students launched FM72 in the spring 2019 semester after positive response to a 24-hour prayer event in the previous fall semester. That four-day emphasis led to a spontaneous 10-day revival, with students continuing to meet in prayer.

Due to the COVID pandemic, students gathered virtually for the 2020 FM72 emphasis but returned to in-person events in 2021.

“Year one was a complete surprise to us,” Ramsey said. “Now, there’s a sense of expectancy on the part of students and the Baylor administration.”

The mid-20th century Youth-Led Revival Movement began at Baylor with a 90-day prayer emphasis in 1945. Baptist leaders such as Bruce McIver, BO and Dick Baker, Ralph Langley, Buckner Fanning and Jess Moody traced the beginning of their call to ministry to the Youth-Led Revivals.


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