Dear Families,

It was the 1850s. America was becoming an increasingly politically divided nation. The issue of slavery was hot, the stock market was pending a crash, and the church was in desperate need for revival. Against this backdrop a man named Jeremiah Lanphier decided to start a noon prayer meeting for business people to pray together during the lunch hour. The first meeting was held in a room on Fulton Street in Lower Manhattan on September 23rd, 1857. Only five other men joined Mr. Lanphier for prayer despite the thousands of flyers handed out previously to promote the event. 

Do not despise the day of small beginnings! The following week more men came. As the meeting grew, Mr. Lanphier decided to move to a larger room and daily prayer meetings were started. On October 14 the nation was rocked by a major financial panic. Banks closed, people lost their jobs, and families went hungry. Desperately, people turned to prayer by the thousands. Churches began to open their doors daily for noon and evening prayer meetings.

Chicago, St. Louis, Cleveland, and other large cities began midday prayer meetings. A wave of revival was sweeping the land. What would be labeled as America’s “Third Great Awakening” was underway. It is estimated that as many as 1 million people were converted or renewed as a result of the awakening and revival that God brought. 

Stories such as this one help stir our faith to cry out to God and ask Him to send once again a great awakening and revival in the midst of this tumultuous time in our own day. We invite you to come hear other historical accounts of revival at our Revival History Summit, January 21–23, 2027, in Big Sandy, Texas. At this event, John Van Gelderen will share impactful sessions chronicling the history of God’s moving and stirring in the past.