Community tent revival starts Sunday

The public is invited to attend a spiritual community tent revival at the corner of Wall and Main streets starting on Sunday.

The event will be conducted 7-8:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday in the open grass area at the southeast corner of Wall and Main streets.

About 14 churches are participating in the event.

The event was started by area pastors who felt the need to bring local churches together to help Fort Scott rise up spiritually and morally, First Assembly of God Pastor Steven Bell said.

"It's a call to action or a rattling of the cage, so to speak," Bell said. "This is a chance to bring barriers down between churches."

Bell said churches in Bourbon County and Fort Scott have been idle and, as a result, morality problems have plagued the community. Organizers hope the event will bring people closer to the Lord, and they will surrender their lives to Jesus. By doing that, Bell said, people's lives will be improved; there won't be a need for harmful vices that ruin the morality of the community.

"There is hope through God and lives can be turned around," Bell said.

Area pastors will lead the audience in prayer along with preaching and gospel music. Each night a different pastor will deliver a sermon and lead the audience in prayer.

Bell said a group of pastors who met each Wednesday came up with the concept for the event. "We believe God is directing this," Bell said. "Through worship, God will speak."

Tents will be constructed at platforms along the area, but most of the event will be in the open. Participants are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, since seating won't be provided.

The site, which is where the old Miller and Nelson Block Buildings once stood, will provide "high visibility and make a strong, positive statement to the community concerning its future. We believe this tent revival will be a very positive event for Fort Scott," Bell wrote in a letter to city commissioners requesting them to allow use of the land for this event.