BJU continues the annual tradition Feb. 13 through 16 when students break from classes and visitors arrive on campus for this year’s Bible Conference. With a theme of “Revive Us Again,” the conference will inform about spiritual revivals of the past and call for similar revival at Bob Jones University and among the thousands who will attend the conference.
This will be the third year Bible Conference adopts a specific theme. President Steve Pettit personally chose this year’s revival theme, which he has considered doing since his installation as university president.
“As the president, I didn’t want to be too long in my tenure without emphasizing revival because you get what you emphasize,” Pettit said. “So we have to emphasize it. It has to be a part of our conversation.”
Pettit said BJU has a history of emphasizing revival and said the University itself was founded “in the stream” of revivals dating back to America’s First Great Awakening.
According to Pettit, the entire history of the church is founded on revival, beginning with the Day of Pentecost. Pettit said every historical revival has a story and said he hopes next week’s Bible Conference will be a story of returning to God and prayer.
Six speakers will preach the nine sessions of the conference. In addition to the preaching, speakers will lead workshops during Thursday’s 1:30 p.m. session.
President Steve Pettit and Mark Minnick, senior pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Greenville, will be familiar to the student body.
Other speakers may be less familiar. These speakers are Aaron Coffey, an evangelist; Les Ollila, the director of Building Great Leaders; Kevin Schaal, the senior pastor of Northwest Valley Baptist Church in Arizona, and Armen Thomassian, pastor of Calgary Free Presbyterian Church in Alberta, Canada.
Jeremy Wray, student body chaplain, is just one of many eagerly anticipating the conference.
Wray said just thinking about the conference has already affected his prayer life.
“Whether that’s in the subject of praying for revival or praying for others, I’ve already grown in anticipation of it,” Wray said.
Wray looks forward to the recovery that comes with Bible Conference.
“I think it really is a great time for rest, [but] I love how we don’t have to go on spiritual rest,” Wray said.
While classes will not be held Feb. 14 through 16, Carter Henderson, freshman Bible major, said the time off is not a vacation but a time set aside for revival.
“It’s a break from school, but it’s not a break from life,” Henderson said.
Other events will occur throughout the week in addition to the services.
A pastor’s prayer meeting will be held every morning at 9:15 a.m. in Levinson Hall starting Feb. 14.
Feb. 15 specifically has many events, including a luncheon for pastors and Christian workers at 11:45 a.m. in the Davis room of the dining common (register on the Bible Conference website before Feb. 8), a concert by the Foundation Brass at noon in the Kalmbach room of the dining common, a Beyond 50 Reception in the Davis Room of the dining common at 2:30 p.m. and an Alumni Reception at 8:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Welcome Center.
