Coal Country Revival Update: More People Saved "than the Population of Two Towns"

Mark Ellis : Jun 21, 2016
God Reports

"In Logan County Schools, a young cancer survivor felt stirred to preach to others in the hallway. Students filled the hallway to hear the message and some even made decisions to follow Christ."

(West Virginia)—[God Reports] In the small towns that dot the mountainous coal region of West Virginia, a revival that began in early April brought 4,000 souls to Christ over eight weeks. (Photo: Williamson, West Virginia/Dewitz Photography/via God Reports)

"My life has gone back to normal," says Bo Copley, the unemployed coal miner who had a brief encounter with Hillary Clinton when she visited Williamson. Copley, his wife, and their children, have attended almost every event connected with the revival over the last two months.
 
He says the number of people saved exceeds the population of the two small towns at the epicenter of God's move of the Spirit. "The population of Delbarton is about 500 and Williamson is about 3000, so in eight weeks' time, the two main places saw more people get saved than the population of the two towns," he says.
 
This is possible because many were drawn from surrounding counties and even other states. Some residents in the area put their vacations on hold so they could be part of what God was doing.
 
"You still [see] people hungry for God," he says. "The people who experienced it know it's about our hunger for Christ. As long as we keep fanning the flame the fire won't die down. We don't want it to have an end."

When Copley was unable to attend personally, he watched the revival meetings via LiveStream. "Someone in our house has been to every event," he says.
 
Copley has seen the fruit of the revival in his own life. "I've begun to praise the Lord more passionately. I've drawn closer, in my attendance, my worship, my praise." (Photo: Bo Copley/REUTERS/Jim Young/via God Reports)
 
"I don't want to leave anything on the table anymore," he adds.
 
After he was laid off at the mine, Copley's family has relied on his wife's photography business to support them. He is still seeking work. "I've had a few job offers, but they are not what the Lord has for me," he says.
 
Matt Hartley, the Tennessee evangelist who was God's instrument to spark revival, has taken a break for a few weeks. "He was exhausted," says Sonya Hackney, at Regional Church of God. "Nobody thought when we scheduled him for three days that he would be here for eight weeks."
 
Hackney says Pastor Hartley is scheduled to preach in...
 
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