It all began with a vision… Pastor Wayne Browing of Cales Chapel in Coal City and six other local churches had a mission, bring people together for a community revival.
“It’s wonderful that we can reach out and touch people and let our light shine and let the community know that we love them,” Browing said.
He says the thing about love is that it’s not a word, it’s an action. Put your love into action… let people know you care for them.
“Helping the people — if they’re homeless, if they’re addicted; whatever the situation is, we can find help for ’em,” said the pastor.
Many people out there are hurt and brokenhearted and just want someone to talk to. Pastor Browing says you can turn to any of the revival churches.
“The word revival means to restore and there’s a lot of people that need to be restored in our community,” he said.
A generation ago, Pastor Aaron Koch says seven different churches of different denominations collaborating like this wouldn’t have been possible.
“Fact that you’ve got this many people in this area that are this interested in being support for each other is just staggering to me,” said Koch, of the Coal City Community Church.
They are halfway through their scheduled revival that started Sunday, August 20 on one side of town and they’re already talking about turning around and going back across again.
“Because people are being touched, people are being encouraged and strengthened and outsiders, people that don’t go to church — they’re starting to swing by,” Browning said.
He says the response has been incredible.
“But when they come to you three, four months later and they’re still talking about it… you know you’ve made an impact,” said the pastor.
