By Nia Mwangi
Staff Writer
Today kicks off the start of Revival, a three-day UMHB Christian event at 7 p.m. Mar. 9–11 at the Quad. It consists of musical worship and a sermon, as well as student-led small groups to discuss the sermon.
Much effort went into planning this event. The assistant directors and directors were picked in mid-April and started the planning process in early July 2025. During that time, they picked out the band and speaker for Revival. Five different committees contributed to the event’s success and were sorted out at the beginning of the fall semester. These consist of the Publicity Committee, which ran social media and created the merch; the Outreach Committee, which got the word out about the event; the Discipleship Committee, which picks all of the small-group leaders for the event; the Prayer Committee, which was in charge of all prayer events; and the Connections and Resources Committee, which will help students attending Revival plug into different churches.
The committees and directors had two weekly meetings. One was a 7 a.m. business meeting that went over what needed to be done for that week. That meeting gave the committees a chance to meet with one another to work together when needed. The second was an hourlong prayer meeting at night led by the Prayer Committee at one of the assistant directors’ houses. The Prayer Committee had a prayer prompt they would lead everyone else through, and the Discipleship Committee would bring a devotional.
To choose a theme, the committees and directors used a whiteboard to discuss different ideas that had been on their minds or scriptures that had been on their hearts. In the fall semester, they all went on a retreat and made the final decision together on the theme “Potter and Clay.”
“We really liked the idea that we are all formed by something or someone, whether that be pressure from people around us, social media or just expectations,” said Rylee Rampelli, a senior business management major. “God shapes us and creates us exactly what He wants us to be.”
Leading up to Revival, their meetings became more frequent. Their original speaker had to cancel due to family issues, so they pivoted and were able to get a new speaker. Now, the directors and committees await Revival’s kickoff.
“This event is not about us, but only about God’s grace,” Rampelli said. “I hope Revival reminds everyone that the One shaping us is the same One who died for us. My hope is that Revival would form something lasting in us, long after the tent comes down.”
