1859 Revival History - continued...

On New Year’s Day 1858, the first conversion that could be directly related to the prayer meeting took place, but after that there were conversions every night. At the end of 1858 some fifty young men were taking part in the prayer meeting.

Soon the prayer meeting was thronged and many new ones were established. So many in the district were converted that by spring 1859 there were an average of sixteen prayer meetings every night of the week in Connor parish alone. Soon the Spirit of God spread His wind to Kellswater, Ahoghill, Dramaul, Portglenone, Ballymena, Broughshane and Ballyclare. Before long almost the whole of Ulster was caught up in the fire fanned by that wind.

Meneely became the great evangelist of the Revival. He was a truly great preacher. He preached with great zeal and carried the gospel throughout the towns and villages of Ulster, into the whole of Ireland and across the sea to Great Britain. He was called home on 24th March 1917 and was buried close to the little schoolhouse in Kells.

The impact of the Revival was tremendous and one of the results was that churches were overcrowded on Sundays. Dead formal ritualism was replaced by powerful direct preaching and fervent praise. Connor Presbyterian Meeting House became too small to meet the needs of the congregation. Only 1,000 could be accommodated and that was not enough for the 900 families who now claimed connection to the congregation. As a result Ballymena Presbytery received a deputation on 4th February 1873 from “the intended New Congregation of Kells”. Following on from this on 8th August 1873 the Presbytery decided to erect Kells as a new congregation that duly called its first minister, Rev Thomas Eaton, on 24th March 1874.

(Adapted from George Carson’s account of the Revival in “The First One Hundred Years”)