Mid-Century Revival

MID-CENTURY REVIVAL THROUGH YFC IN 1950

Dec. 31, 1949 – January 16, 1950 – A mid-century evangelistic campaign at Park Street Church in Boston enveloped 75 churches for revival and saw 3000 people come to Christ. A final rally in the Boston Garden attracted 16,000 people with 10,000 turned away.

Jan. 1 – April, 1950 – Revival services were held every night in the Marinha Grade Baptist Church in Portugal. No invitations were given for the first three weeks in this Catholic dominated country, but on the 22nd night 182 came to the front to accept Christ. Later, in one week 332 people – all Catholics – accepted Christ.

Jan. 1 – 22, 1950 – In a revival in Lancaster PA, 500 were converted to Christ under the preaching of evangelist Robert J. Wells.

Feb., 1950 – A revival spirit hits the 135 rally Eastern Region in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and the District of Columbia. The summer conference at Ocean City, New Jersey requires eight hotels to accommodate over 1000 guests and has attracted world-wide attention.

Feb. 19 – Mar. 12, 1950 –A Graham evangelistic crusade held in Columbia SC over 22 days saw 40,000 at the final rally with 10,000 turned away. Overall, 12,500 made commitments to Christ. It was the largest meeting of any kind held in South Carolina.

Feb. 8-10, 1950 – Wheaton College saw God move among the 1500 students in a 38 hour revival. Time Magazine reported it in its Feb. 20 issue, and Life Magazine devoted two entire pages to it. As testimonies were given, some unsaved and unsurrendered students sat there for more than 24 hours before their hearts were broken and melted by the Spirit of God. Nearly every unsaved student found Christ.

Feb. 23 – Mar. 1, 1950 – A continuous 118 hour revival took place on the Asbury College campus in Wilmore, Kentucky. Prayer had been deepening in previous weeks, and the theme of the first chapel service was 2 Chron. 7:14. Students began to testify and hardly any left to go and rest. There never was a time during the 118 hours when students were not lined up to testify.

Feb. 10-19, 1950 – A 10 day evangelistic campaign in San Diego, California had overflow crowds of over 3000 every night with 206 people professing Christ as Savior.

Feb. 15-17, 1950 – John Robertson was saved in a San Diego YFC rally and then confessed to a murder. He was sentenced to life in the Texas State Prison, but with the prison chaplain arranged for a three-day preaching campaign behind the prison walls. There were 273 converts.

Feb. 15 - Mar. 15, 1950 - 3 New Zealanders hold four campaigns in Hong Kong, Kowloon and Macao where 300 people indicated a desire to receive Christ.

Feb. 27 – March 12, 1950 – A revival called “Christ for Danvilleland” packed the Illinois State Armory in Danville, Illinois to capacity every night. They reported 1061 first time professions of faith.

March, 1950 – Minneapolis YFC led by George Wilson is the largest rally in the world. Crowds at the last five meetings in the Minneapolis Auditorium drew 11,000 on three occasions and 8,000 and 9,000 on the other two. The revival spirit has fanned its way out to 200 rallies in the North Central Region of Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Western Wisconsin.

March 28 – April 20, 1950 – The Graham team reaches 65,300 in 13 New England cities with 3995 decisions for Christ. This was done simultaneously with the four week crusade in Boston. (See below)

March 27 - April 24, 1950 - A four week crusade was held in Boston with 162,000 total attendance and 6000 decisions for Christ. On April 23 Billy Graham preached to 50,000 on the historic Boston Common. A reporter for the Boston Post said the next day, "Not since the Great Awakening revival service of George Whitfield on October 12, 1740, on the same spot on Monument Hill, where his 31-year-old successor preached yesterday, has this historic spot been the site of so large a moving religious spirit."

March 27 - April 9, 1950 - Revival campaign in Bangor, Maine with Hyman Appelman resulted in 1480 converts for Christ.

March 27-28, 1950 - Manila YFC in the Philippines reported "the biggest YFC rally in the orient" with 13,000 and 3000 on two nights, with 250 signing decision cards.

May - June, 1950 - Crusade in Louisville Kentucky for 29 days drew 7000 per night with 2204 decisions for Christ.

May, 1950 - Mid-Century Revival Campaign conducted by Torrey Johnson in Oakland, California over 3 weeks saw 115,000 attend and over a thousand converts.

June, 1950 - Nine day crusade in Seoul, Korea with Bob Pierce and Gil Dodds saw a nightly attendance of 15,000 with 2000 definite decisions. President of Korea spoke favorably of YFC work.

June 5-30, 1950 - YFC Crusade in Long Beach saw more than 100,000 in attendance and thousands of decisions for Christ.

July 14, 1950 - Billy Graham, Cliff Barrows, Grady Wilson, and Jerry Beavan meet with President Harry Truman in the White House one month after the Korean War began.

June 15 - July 30, 1950 - 17,000 people attended the final night as the closing invitation lasts 90 minutes. 1000+ converts overall with 300 the final night.

Summer, 1950 - tent campaign in Wabash Indiana yields 840 decisions with 208 for salvation. "The entire community shaken for God!"

July 23 - Sept. 4, 1950 - YFC/Graham Crusade in Portland Oregon draws the second largest attendance in American history - 632,000 attended with 9000 converts. The largest crusade was held by Billy Sunday in New York City in 1923 with 1.5 million people over 11 weeks.

July 23 - August 15, 1950 - Crusade in Kansas City draws 225,000 in 22 days with 5300 accepting Christ and Merv Rosell and Charles Fuller preaching. "Greatest thing that has happened to Kansas City."

July, 1950 - 6th annual Winona Lake Convention saw 3000 delegates from 42 states, all the Canadian provinces, and 14 countries. On the mid-Conference Sunday, when Billy Graham spoke, there were an estimated 23,000 people on the grounds.

July 30- August 6, 1950 - World Congress in Brussels, Belgium drew 500 delegates from 26+ countries. Delegates left there determined that 1950's summer of teamwork was but a prelude of what can and must be done.

Summer, 1950 - 100 YFC evangelistic teams cover all of Europe in an intensive and extensive soul-winning effort. To Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Italy, Wales, France, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Norway, Switzerland, England.

Summer, 1950 - 6+ rallies in Japan, 25 rallies in Ireland, rallies in Okinawa, 9+ rallies in New Zealand, rallies in Barcelona, Spain, several rallies in India, YFC not allowed in Czechoslavakia - yet 400 came to Christ, rallies in Italy, Trieste and Guatamala.

Summer, 1950 - Jim Savage reports that in the last 2 years YFC campaigns have been held in 40 cities in Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia. 2000 people were dealt with personally with 50 accepting Christ in each place. One church in Quito, Ecuador is comprised almost entirely of YFC converts.

January - June, 1950 - rallies in Denver averaged 650 to 1000 with 300+ coming to Christ. Greeley rallies had attendance of 350 to 700. Leader Steve Cummings of Denver reported that there were as many as 20 rallies in Colorado, including Denver, Boulder, Rifle, Glenwood Springs, Burns, Grand Junction, Pueblo, Montrose and Olethea.

Sept. 14, 1950 - Billy Graham preaches to 50,000 people in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena with 1000 converts.

Because of Winona Lake and the other crusades 1950-51 was the greatest year of growth and harvest YFC had yet known.