A coalition of North Carolina churches is hosting an evangelistic crusade Friday to bring the Gospel message to save the lost and once again spark revival centuries after the small town was touched by a move of God during the Second Great Awakening. 

The Union County Crusade will take place at Cane Creek Park in Waxhaw, North Carolina, and aims to advance God's Kingdom.

"The hope is that the Holy Spirit will do His work, during this service, and convince the person to accept Jesus as Savior," reads the crusade's website. 

Pastor Charles Hines is leading the effort and told CBN News that nearly 20 churches from different denominations are coming together for the event including Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists. 

Members from these churches have been seeking God for the vision, direction, and connection for the outreach. 

"Our goal is to reach the lost and connect them to a church," Hines explained adding that Waxhaw, a surrounding town near the county, has grown exponentially over the years and provides an opportunity to reach thousands with the Gospel message. 

"[The town] went from 1,000 people to 20,000 in a span of 10 years. It's just been a lot of growth and it seems like the world's coming into Union County," he said.

According to Hines, this is not the first time that thousands of people have been drawn to the town of Waxhaw. 

In the 1800s, on the heels of the Second Great Awakening, "people came from all over to come to this (town's) revival," the pastor of Prospect Southern Methodist Church told CBN News. 

"People would pitch tents and they came out and they were crying out to the Lord," he explained. "5,000 to 8,000 people came out and it was just a really powerful story."

Hines says Friday's revival is less than 5 miles from where that revival took place in the 1800s, and that unique part of the town's history serves as a foreshadowing of what is taking place across pockets of the nation. 

"I think there's a lot of growth of young people, especially young men in the churches. We're seeing more revival and so I believe that this particular event is going to be a real rush of momentum for Christianity in our county," he shared.  

Hines believes God is stirring the hearts of men in this season, and he is not alone.

Pastor Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church recently wrote on X, "We are seeing the fires of revival burning and are on the cusp of Spiritual Awakening. Young men in particular are experiencing a hunger for God...it is a Jesus movement in the making." 

Pastor Greg Laurie recently told CBN News he is seeing more men coming to Harvest Christian Fellowship, based in California, also.

"I think one of the reasons for it is just men have been so beaten down in the last decade or so. They're tired of being browbeaten and young men specifically being told it's bad to be a man, it's bad to be masculine. And there's been a reaction. And I think it's a good reaction," Laurie said.

"I can't explain it other than the fact that it's a God thing and that God is stirring the hearts of men," Hines said. 

Meanwhile, Laurie believes there will be signs of revival continuing across the country and encourages the church to focus on the Great Commission.

"And the Great Commission, of course, is going into all the world, preaching the Gospel and making disciples of all nations. And I just urge everyone that these are effectively the final words of Jesus, if you will, before he ascended to heaven. And so, this is important to Jesus. It should be important to us," Laurie said. 

Hines tells CBN News he doesn't want the upcoming outreach to stop after the revival. That is why he developed a digital discipleship course that will allow people to jump right into their newfound relationship with Jesus Christ. 

"We know that one of the pitfalls of crusades, traditionally, has been that people, you know, have this experience, they get saved or they come forward, but they don't end up going to the church," he explained. "We actually put together a 21-day discipleship training course."

Hines shared that people will learn how to study the Word of God, maintain a prayer journal, and understand the importance of spending time with God. 

"In the 21 days, there will be three Zoom calls to be able to build relationships among the pastors and the new believers," he explained. 

Hines added, "I'm just somebody who wants to get to work right away and if I just receive the Lord, I don't wanna wait till Sunday, and so one of the cool things about that opportunity is that you can learn how to connect more with the Lord in your bed that night you know." 

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