BELTON, Texas— The 26th annual spring revival, a three-day student-directed event, was held at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (UMHB) this week, where hundreds of students gathered inside a large white tent at the heart of campus. This year’s theme was “Leave and Follow,” and Xavier Maryland, who serves as the Campus Pastor at the Missouri City campus of Sugar Creek Baptist Church, was the featured speaker. Jarryd Foreman, a Worship Pastor at Austin Stone Community Church, and his band led worship.
“The driving force behind Revival 2025 was a desire to see every member of our campus community posture their hearts with a willingness to leave everything and follow Jesus,” said UMHB’s Dean of Spiritual Life and University Chaplain, Jason Palmer.
Luke 5:10b-11, this year’s theme verse, says, “‘Don’t be afraid,’ Jesus told Simon. ‘From now on you will be catching people.’ Then they brought the boats to land, left everything, and followed him.”
A central question anchored Maryland’s messages: What might happen if you said yes to God? He kicked off the first night with a brief story about a personal invitation to go skydiving that he turned down and likened the experience to the Christian life and trusting God. He said, “Maybe there have been times when God has asked something big of you, and you believed just enough to show up. But are there ways or moments in your life when you believe God, but maybe not enough to jump? This is where we find ourselves in Luke 5.”
He then dug into the scriptures and taught students what jumping and saying yes to God could look like, just as Simon did. Maryland added, “I want you to ask yourself this question – a question that could very well change your life – what could happen if I said yes to God? If I believed him enough to jump. Not just to show up, but to say yes to whatever is next.” Each night of revival, Maryland shared gospel truths with students and encouraged them to follow God.
In addition to Maryland’s teaching and worship, students shared testimonies of how God is working in their lives. “Seeing students testify to the goodness of God in their lives is always a highlight. On the final night, one of our student-athletes, Josh Goings, shared a powerful comparison between two seasons of adversity: one experienced when his spiritual house was built on sand and a more recent event when his life was founded securely on the rock of Christ,” Palmer said.
To watch recordings of the revival services, visit Revival - Spiritual Life.
