BY LINDA OTTERBACK
KBC MSC. MISSIONARY
In 2000, my late husband, Larry, and I began a ministry leading us into the mountains of eastern Kentucky.
EKY SONrise has led us on a journey of meeting thousands of people across our state and helping in eastern Kentucky by holding retreats, prayer meetings, providing for the missionaries who reside in the communities and sending others from across our nation.
We were first called to Fleming Neon in Letcher County to help with the small church each month providing food and clothing. This monthly distribution grew from 25 families to hundreds as we gathered in worship before the distribution and God’s presence rang out in the song and praise.
For five years we made the monthly trip to Fleming Neon. God expanded our territory to all eastern Kentucky due to the 85 missionaries arriving in the various areas to develop ministries.
In 2002 we brought two busloads of folks to the Billy Graham Crusade in Louisville. One young man, 16-year-old Brian, was on the front page of the Courier Journal newspaper the next day.
Larry and I had been trained as crusade counselors and began to walk toward the large field to meet folks as they accepted Christ after Dr. Graham gave the invitation. Brian followed close behind us, as did many others from our group. When I asked Brian “if he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior,” he said rather loudly, “he came down to meet Billy Graham!”
Early in 2000, I met Nell Bruce, who was the prayer coordinator for Highview Baptist Church in Louisville. She passed into Heaven in her late 90s but left an indelible mark on me and hundreds of others. One of her prayer prophecies was “that Jesus would return after the great revival in eastern Kentucky and throughout our state.”
God put upon my heart, in a dream, in the fall of 2022 “to hold a revival in eastern Kentucky.”
I traveled to Paintsville and Inez to ask others about the possibility of holding a revival. This was confirmed by several as we gathered to discuss what and how to proceed.
This summer on July 28-29 we will hold a tent revival at Haven of Rest Ministry in Inez on top of the Big Sandy Mountain in Martin County.
Johnathan Lotz, grandson of Billy Graham and son of Anne G. Lotz, will be the evangelist with worship provided by a local church and gospel groups.
The excitement of revival is spreading as we first heard of Barbourville, Asbury, and other movements across Kentucky this winter.
Many churches are waking up to the reality of needing revival.
Google defines revival as the following:
“Reawakening of our Spirit, improvement in the condition and strength of sinners to turn to Christ for salvation.”
“The return of the Church from backsliding to conversion of sinners.”
“Movement of the Holy Spirit producing extraordinary results.”
“True revival is the rediscovery of the Word of God, restored sense of the fear of God, a return to God through confession and repentance and a renewal of spiritual commitment as God’s people.”
On Saturday, July 22, we will begin the week with a ladies’ prayer meeting, followed by groups praying in the communities of several counties July 23-26.
A youth prayer rally is scheduled at Haven of Rest on July 26 with the revival to follow on Friday and Saturday, July 28-29.
More information may be found at havenofrestinez.com.
Linda Otterback is an MSC. Missionary with the Kentucky Baptist Convention through her ministry Eastern KY SONrise.
This article first appeared on KentuckyToday.com, and is reprinted here with permission.
