The Field Is the Altar: Five Campus Revivals Where Local Churches Walked Students Into the Water

Since August, five gatherings in five states had one thing in common. Each one started on a school campus: a fieldhouse, a high school stadium, a freshman chapel, a campus promenade, and a community college theater and parking lot. Students and athletes came. Local churches were ready for them.

Article Summary

• Malibu, CA: 19 students were baptized in Pepperdine's Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool after Unite LA on Sept. 22.
• Anniston, AL: The Cheaha Area Crusade at Saks High School Stadium saw 327 commitments, with more than 40 churches praying over every name the next day.
• Brownwood, TX: 17 Howard Payne University football players were baptized at Coggin Avenue Baptist Church.
• Dahlonega, GA: 15 students were baptized on the University of North Georgia promenade at Revive's third baptism night.
• Poplarville, MS: First Baptist Poplarville baptized 59 in one week, 52 of them in concrete troughs on the Pearl River Community College campus.
• The thread: the church went to the campus, and then stayed for the follow-up.

Pepperdine counts from the Graphic and the university newsroom. Cheaha's 327 is from Celebration 250. Howard Payne is from the Baptist Standard. UNG is from The Vanguard. Poplarville is from The Baptist Record.

Lead story: Unite LA, Pepperdine University

On Tuesday, Sept. 22, the UniteUS movement came to Pepperdine's Firestone Fieldhouse for Unite LA. Pepperdine's Student-Led Ministries presented the night. The Pepperdine Graphic counted students from over 15 Southern California colleges. UPPERROOM led worship. Madi Prewett Troutt, Grant Troutt, and UniteUS founder Tonya Prewett spoke to hundreds of students.

Then the night moved outside. Nineteen students were baptized in the Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool, according to Holly Reed, assistant director of Student Ministries. Pepperdine's own newsroom said they were baptized by local ministers, with their friends standing beside them.

What stood out to me was what was said before anyone got wet. Grant Troutt told the students that baptism is not an end. It is a new beginning. Lance Uch, a Spiritual Life Advisor, heard it:

I enjoyed the way they spoke about how important it is to have your faith be nurtured after the big steps of getting baptized and finding a local church.

Lance Uch, Rockwell Towers Spiritual Life Advisor (Pepperdine Graphic)

Madi Prewett Troutt preached on accountability from Revelation 3. Uch said that part spoke to him too:

When [Madi] was talking about finding those people to help keep you accountable, that really spoke to me.

Lance Uch, Rockwell Towers Spiritual Life Advisor (Pepperdine Graphic)

We can choose community instead, choose to be around other people, even if it's strangers.

Darrin Bagby, Hope International University senior (Pepperdine Graphic)

I think that because of tonight, there is more of a zeal, more motivation, to live out a Christian life.

Kyle Zarate, Hope International University senior (Pepperdine Graphic)

That is discipleship in plain words.

On X, @pepperdine posted:

Tomorrow night at 7 PM, Firestone Fieldhouse hosts Unite LA 🎶 Live worship from UPPERROOM WORSHIP, Gospel messages, and fellowship, open to college students across Southern California. Registration link in comments below:

@pepperdine (Sept. 21, 2026)

PRO TIP If you were baptized this fall, write down three names this week: a pastor, a friend who will ask how you are doing, and a Bible reading partner. Then text all three.

Cheaha Area Crusade, Anniston, Alabama

From Sept. 27 to Oct. 1, Rick Gage's Go Tell America team and more than 40 area churches held five nights at Saks High School Stadium. More than 7,000 people came. The team also addressed 8,000 students in local schools that week. The crusade's own site reports 327 individual commitments, including 168 people seeking Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Alabama Baptist told the story of the churches that stayed.

James Howard had prayed for his high school best friend for years. The friend lived behind the school and called to ask why the stadium lights and music were on. "We're having church," Howard told him. The friend came, left early, and called the next day. Howard prayed with him and led him to the Lord.

So now he's on fire. ... He wants to get in church. He wants to get plugged in.

James Howard, crusade attendee (The Alabama Baptist)

Here is the part I want every church to copy. Prayer partners were trained before the crusade and stayed connected with the people they talked with. Each day at lunch, the participating churches met to pray over the people who made decisions the night before and plan how to connect them to local churches.

It was awesome to watch God put things together.

Joey Hanner, pastor of First Baptist Church Saks and crusade outreach leader (The Alabama Baptist)

All those pastors and laypeople, 400 volunteers, they ought to be commended.

Eric Snider, pastor of First Baptist Church White Plains (The Alabama Baptist)

Evangelist Rick Gage called it "a power-packed week, and it was all for the glory of God, and we came together for the purpose of enlarging the kingdom of God." (The Alabama Baptist)

On X, @christianindex posted:

Cheaha Area Crusade in Alabama draws thousands as 40+ area churches work together to plan, pray, follow up

@christianindex (Oct. 7, 2026)

Howard Payne University, Brownwood, Texas

Howard Payne University celebrated the baptism of 17 of its football players. The Baptist Standard reported that Nate Penland, HPU vice president of student experience, credited the interactions with head coach Coby Gibson and president Cory Hines. Hines shared the gospel at the first freshman chapel. Gibson connected with students through Genuine, a Sunday night college ministry, handing out shirts that read "Jesus won."

The players were baptized in a separate service at Coggin Avenue Baptist Church, where college pastor Billy Cash baptized them. A luncheon followed to celebrate. The Baptist Standard did not include a direct quote from the players, coaches, or church.

On X, @BaptistStandard posted:

Around the State: Seventeen HPU football players get baptized

@BaptistStandard (Oct. 6, 2026)

On X, @BaptistStandard posted:

Celebrating Churches: Coggin Avenue hosts baptism of 17 HPU students

@BaptistStandard (Oct. 8, 2026)

Revive at the University of North Georgia, Dahlonega

On Thursday, Oct. 1, 15 students were baptized on the promenade of UNG's Dahlonega campus. It was Revive's third annual baptism night. About 200 students, community members, and families watched. The Vanguard was there.

Senior Samuel Estes was baptized at the same event last year. This year he came back to cheer others on. He said:

I know that one person who was walking by and just happened to see it, decided to stay for the service and ended up giving their life to Christ.

Samuel Estes, senior political science major (The Vanguard)

Just because Christianity is prominent on the campus does not mean that all the students are Christian.

Maggie Lord, sophomore Middle Grades Education major (The Vanguard)

We're super thankful for UNG and for all of the student ministries. Everyone is on the same page, just trying to see lives changed for the gospel.

Luke Kinsey, UNG graduate and Revive campus pastor (The Vanguard)

It could spark revival across campuses, it could start a domino effect of different students sharing their faith as a result of hearing the gospel for the first time.

Luke Kinsey (The Vanguard)

First Baptist Poplarville, Poplarville, Mississippi

Pastor Kipp Smith took First Baptist Poplarville's revival off the church property and into the Brownstone Theater at Pearl River Community College. This August, guest evangelist Ronnie Hill suggested baptism troughs in the parking lot. College president Dr. Adam Breerwood approved it. Christian coaches helped bring two 12-foot concrete troughs on a flatbed, and the Poplarville fire department filled them. The Baptist Record reported the week.

They baptized 52 that night, six the night before, and one young man the next Sunday in a baptistry the church filled ahead of time. That is 59 in one week. Smith said football players, basketball players, volleyball players, and college students gave their lives to the Lord. Coaches Michael Avalon and Seth Smith, both members of the church, brought their teams.

We were in awe of those young people who were so ready to make the commitment and be baptized right then and there.

Kipp Smith, pastor of First Baptist Poplarville (The Baptist Record)

We know the Lord is working all over, but it sure is fun to see it.

Kipp Smith (The Baptist Record)

When we had the service that night, we had no idea if anybody was going to respond. You can't control that. You just present the message.

Kipp Smith (The Baptist Record)

Hill's advice before Sunday was simple: "You need to have the baptistry filled up in advance." Ronnie Hill, guest evangelist, as recalled by Smith (The Baptist Record)

PRO TIP Fill the baptistry before Sunday. Poplarville did, and one more young man was baptized that morning. Plan for the person who is still deciding.

What these five share

Every one of these started on school ground. Every one had a local church or campus ministry standing behind it. And the best of them planned for the morning after: trained prayer partners in Anniston, a "new beginning" message in Malibu, a returning student in Dahlonega, a college pastor in Brownwood.

UniteUS has walked this path on other campuses this year. We wrote about hundreds of Miami students who left the Watsco Center for the water, and about the University of Tennessee night where students sought Jesus and many were baptized outside. Unite LA is the same movement on the West Coast. The local piece is the ministers in the pool, the friends on the deck, and a church that can still find those students next week.

The water is the start. Jesus said baptize, then teach (Matthew 28:19-20). If you are a new believer, find a local church this week and keep reading. The WWJD.COM SuperApp has Scripture, prayer, and devotionals in 30+ languages to help you keep growing between Sundays.

Pray for these students, these athletes, their coaches, and the churches that showed up on their campuses.

Ask the Question - Live the Answer.

After the water

The splash is the start. The next names are the work.

1. Read: the Pepperdine Graphic, Pepperdine Newsroom, The Alabama Baptist, the Baptist Standard, The Vanguard, and The Baptist Record.
2. Text: If you were baptized this fall, text a pastor, a friend who will ask how you are doing, and a Bible reading partner.
3. Prepare: If you are the church, fill the baptistry before Sunday and plan who meets new believers the next day.
4. Pray: For these students, these athletes, their coaches, and the churches that showed up on their campuses.

FAQ

Sources

• Pepperdine Newsroom: College Students Across Southern California Gather for Unite LA Worship Movement at Pepperdine
• Pepperdine Graphic, "Students Gather at Unite LA For Worship, Community, Spiritual Renewal" (Oct. 6, 2026)
• The Alabama Baptist, Cheaha Area Crusade
• GO TELL Ministries: Celebration 250 AL Cheaha Area Crusade
• Kamping with Katie livestream, Thursday youth night, Oct. 1
• Celebration 250 Cheaha Area (decision totals)
• Baptist Standard, "Around the State: Seventeen HPU football players get baptized"
• The Vanguard (UNG): third annual baptism night
• The Baptist Record: First Baptist Poplarville, 59 baptized
• X: @pepperdine on Unite LA
• X: @christianindex on the Cheaha Area Crusade
• X: @BaptistStandard, seventeen HPU football players
• X: @BaptistStandard, Coggin Avenue hosts the baptisms
• WWJD.COM: Unite Miami
• WWJD.COM: University of Tennessee UniteUS night
• WWJD.COM: Faith Is Rising
• WWJD.COM: Statement of Faith

Ask the Question - Live the Answer