Who Will Walk With Emily? 596 Said Yes to Jesus at South Alabama

On Tuesday, Oct. 27, UniteUS filled the Mitchell Center at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. The ministry reports 596 decisions for Christ and 52 baptisms. One pastor's question in a truck bed points to what comes next.

Article Summary

• UniteUS held Unite South Alabama at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Alabama, on Tuesday night, Oct. 27, 2026.
• UniteUS reports about 3,500 students and community members attended, 596 people made decisions to follow Jesus, and 52 were baptized outside right after (CBN News). These are the ministry's own numbers. On its social accounts, UniteUS rounds the decisions to "over 600."
• Tonya Prewett and Grant Troutt preached. Circuit Riders led worship (CBN News).
• Pathway Church Lead Pastor Travis Johnson baptized a student named Emily, then asked the crowd who would walk with her "all the way to the finish line" (Charisma).

Attendance, decisions, and baptisms are UniteUS figures, reported by CBN News, ChurchLeaders, and Answered Faith. The over 600 wording is from UniteUS on X.

One question in a truck bed

It was late on Tuesday night in Mobile. Outside the Mitchell Center, a student named Emily stood in the water in the back of a pickup truck.

Pastor Travis Johnson, lead pastor of Pathway Church, asked her three questions. He later posted the exchange on X:

Emily, have you asked Jesus Christ to be the Lord of your life?

Pastor Travis Johnson (on X)

"Yes, I have," she said. Had she asked Him to forgive her sins? "I have, and I need that so bad." Did she believe He heard that prayer? "Yes, I do. I know He has."

Then Johnson turned to the students standing around the truck. Charisma's Abby Trivett reported what he said:

Jesus said any man that puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God. So, we're going all the way to the end. I just want to ask, is there anybody here that will walk with Emily all the way to the finish line?

Pastor Travis Johnson, Pathway Church (via Charisma)

That question is the whole story. Emily said yes to Jesus. Now she needs people who say yes to her.

PRO TIP If you know someone who was baptized this fall, ask them one thing this week: "Who's walking with you?" If nobody is, offer to be that person.

What God did at South Alabama

UniteUS is a college movement that brings students together for worship, the Gospel, and a chance to respond (ChurchLeaders). The South Alabama night was free, with doors at 6:30 p.m. and a 7:30 p.m. start (Find Live Worship).

UniteUS told CBN News that about 3,500 students and community members came. Tonya Prewett and Grant Troutt brought the messages, and Circuit Riders led worship. By the end of the night, the ministry reports, 596 people had made decisions to follow Jesus. Then 52 were baptized outside, many in truck beds, while friends gathered around to celebrate.

During the altar call, Johnson posted from the arena floor:

RIGHT NOW there are HUNDREDS of students coming forward to give their life to Jesus tonight in Mobile Alabama tonight at Unite US

Pastor Travis Johnson (on X, quoted by CBN News)

One student told UniteUS that three of her sorority sisters "are now also my sisters in Christ" (CBN News). Attendee Alexis Murphy wrote that "the next generation is hungry for something real" (CBN News).

The next day, the UniteUS account thanked God for the night:

South Alabama, we have a lot to thank God for today. Last night, 3,500 of you came together to worship Jesus, over 600 made decisions to follow Him, and 52 were baptized.

@Unite__US (on X, Oct. 28)

Two weeks earlier, UniteUS was at Appalachian State. Read our App State story.

The finish line is a long way off

A decision on a Tuesday night is a beginning. Answered Faith pointed out that the totals come from the ministry, and that there's no count yet of how many students have joined a local church or a discipleship group. That's an honest place to stand. It also tells the rest of us where we come in.

Jesus told His followers to baptize and then teach (Matthew 28:19-20). After the first big response in Acts, the new believers "continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer" (Acts 2:42, WEB). They had a church, a Bible, and friends.

Charisma's report closed on the same point. The real question is how many students "will continue walking with Him long after the events are over."

PRO TIP Walking with a new believer can be simple. Sit together at church on Sunday. Read one chapter of a Gospel each day and text each other one verse. Pray together for 10 minutes once a week.

What Would Jesus Do next?

Jesus walked with His disciples for 3 years before He sent them out. He ate with them, answered their questions, and stayed when they got it wrong.

So here's the invite. If someone near you was baptized this fall, in Mobile or anywhere else, be the person who answers Johnson's question. Text them, invite them to church, and stick around.

If you're the one who just said yes, find a local church this week and ask someone there to walk with you. Between Sundays, the WWJD.COM SuperApp has Scripture, prayer, and daily devotionals to help you keep growing.

Pray for Emily, for the 596, for UniteUS, for Pathway Church, and for the churches in Mobile that will welcome these students.

What you can do now

1. Pray by name for one person who was baptized this year.
2. Ask them who's walking with them, and offer to be that friend.
3. Invite them to sit with you at church this Sunday.
4. Ask the question before your next choice: What would Jesus do?

FAQ

Sources

• CBN News: 596 Decide to Follow Christ as UniteUS Brings Gospel to University of South Alabama (Benjamin Gill, Oct. 28, 2026)
• Charisma, Abby Trivett, "Pastor Travis Johnson Shares Incredible Baptism Moment at Alabama College Revival" (Oct. 28, 2026)
• ChurchLeaders, Jesse T. Jackson, "UniteUS Reports Nearly 600 Decisions for Christ, 52 Baptisms at University of South Alabama" (Oct. 29, 2026)
• Answered Faith, Duke Taber, "UniteUS Reports 596 Faith Decisions at South Alabama as Churches Look Toward Discipleship" (Oct. 29, 2026)
• X: Pastor Travis Johnson, Emily baptism (Oct. 27, 2026, 11:22 p.m. CT)
• X: Pastor Travis Johnson, "RIGHT NOW there are HUNDREDS" (Oct. 27, 2026, 9:38 p.m. CT)
• X: @Unite__US recap with photos (Oct. 28, 2026, 8:45 p.m. CT)
• X: @Unite__US recap video (Oct. 28, 2026, 8:46 p.m. CT)
• X: CBN News post linking its report (Oct. 28, 2026, 1:45 p.m. CT)
• Find Live Worship, "Unite | South Alabama" (doors 6:30 p.m., start 7:30 p.m., free)
• WWJD News: Truck Beds and a Football Field (Oct. 21, 2026)
• World English Bible: Acts 2:42; Matthew 28:19-20
• WWJD.COM: Faith Is Rising
• WWJD.COM: Statement of Faith

Ask the Question - Live the Answer