‘Powerful move of God’: Southeastern University experiencing continuous worship on campus
Students at a Christian university in Florida have continued to gather for worship and prayer several days after an annual three-day conference concluded.
The conference, which started last Monday, featured speaker Jennie Allen. As the event concluded, many students stayed to pray and worship, and the band continued to play.
Southeastern University President Kent Ingle said in video remarks that the students' hunger for worship was “both beautiful and humbling to witness.”
In an interview with CBN, Jonathan Rivera, a campus pastor, said when Allen called students to repentance, everything changed.
"What she did was she asked students to confess sin publicly and as loud as possible," Rivera said. "At first, we were kind of like, we don't know how this is going to look or where it's going to go, and students literally leaned in completely and started shouting as loud as they could, confessing sin, burdens, issues, all kinds of stuff. And after that happened, something shifted in the room, something undeniable happened that we all felt."
The annual conference traditionally centers on teaching sessions and musical worship within a defined schedule, Rivera told Premier Christian News, noting that perceived limits on spiritual expectation are changing.
Rivera told CBN that, after seeing the students' response, they "just leaned into it" and rescheduled breakout sessions and even canceled classes.
Administrators also responded by making Bush Chapel available for uninterrupted use so participants could remain in prayer and worship. Activity in the chapel has continued throughout the day and night.
Rivera said recent days brought accounts of physical healing among those present. Such reports circulated within the campus community during the extended gathering. Academic routines paused for a short period as leaders evaluated the situation.
A revised schedule later permitted both enrolled students and visitors from outside the university to enter the chapel during designated times.
The university added that the moment followed months of collective prayer and spiritual preparation connected to the conference, according to the SEU website.
Organizers connected the conference theme to a desire for renewed spiritual experience. “What began as a spark during Southeastern University’s annual SEU Conference has extended into a powerful, sustained Move of God in Bush Chapel. This was not born of our own efforts; rather, it is the result of months of prayer and surrendering to the will of God,” says the website.
“There was a fire that was lit during the five sessions of SEU Conference, but it did not leave when the speakers stepped off the stage. We witnessed students with hearts of desperation and hunger returning to their first love. The theme of the conference was ‘Do it Again,’ just asking that the Lord would come and show us His love and power again. He has surpassed our expectations, unleashing a move of God onto our campus,” it added.
“For over 24 hours, our students have remained in a posture of continuous worship, prayer, and seeking the presence of Jesus. This is not about noise or an emotional high. Instead, it is about a deep hunger and desire to be formed in the image of Christ.”
Rivera also spoke about the involvement of younger participants and called their engagement self-motivated rather than directed by authority figures. He said the willingness to remain in worship reflected personal spiritual interest among attendees.
Allen expressed public support through a social media message and encouraged prayer for those guiding the gathering and for the students taking part.
Rivera relayed statements from students who voiced a preference to remain in the worship setting rather than return immediately to normal academic routines.
