The following article by Bishop Bill Atwood first appeared in the August 13, 2013 edition of the AAC’s International Update. Sign up for this free email here. 

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In 1929, a small group of Rwandans were gathered when the Holy Spirit fell on them. Brought alive by their own experience of Pentecost, they traveled around the country telling others what had happened, calling for repentance from sin, and calling for a commitment to Christ. In 1935, they traveled to Kibale, Uganda. In a small church, they shared what had happened in their lives. Once again, the Holy Spirit fell. This time, they stayed in church, worshipping and praying for three days. At the end of that experience every one of the people there set out to share what had happened to them. The East African Revival took off like wildfire then.

Every ten years or so, there is a reunion convention to gather those original revivalists and to celebrate what God continues to do. In 2005, I was invited to speak at the 75th anniversary of the East African Revival. I had the chance to meet some of the original people who experienced God’s presence in the 1935 meeting in Kibale. It was inspirational to hear the testimonies of the few people who were there who were still alive. Even more amazing was to hear those who responded to the “altar call” invitation, confessing their sins publicly to the crowd of more than 11,000 people!

In addition to speaking at the reunion, one of my tasks was to perform the groundbreaking for a new “convenience” for the convention grounds. One practicality is that when more than 10,000 people gather, there is a need for a lot of restrooms! This “convenience” is a gigantic two story one. (I hope you are impressed!)

The East African Revival has had a tremendous impact on shaping the life and culture of the region. The Anglican Churches in Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya have been forged out of the experiences of repentance and “walking in the light.”

This morning, the Archbishop of Uganda, The Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali (a dear old friend!) made a statement about the upcoming GAFCON 2013 meeting in Nairobi. It is scheduled from October 21 to 26th. Most interesting in Archbishop Ntagali’s statement is the comparison of the GAFCON movement to the East African Revival. The context of his remarks is the tenth anniversary of the consecration of a bishop of a man living in an active same-sex relationship. It is not that same-sex intimacy is any worse than any other human behavior. The problem is that its proponents seek to not only incorporate it into the life of the church and culture, but they seek to have the church bless it. So far, there have not been movements to bless prejudice, theft, hypocrisy, violence, gluttony, or sloth.

Archbishop Stanley knows that the Anglican Communion is in desperate need for the very same things that caused the East Africa Revival to spread: repentance and “walking in the light.” He makes the wonderful point that GAFCON is to the whole Anglican Communion what the East African Revival is to the African Church.