THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 26, 1995 TAG: 9509260298
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines
``Something good is going to happen to you,'' intones Oral Roberts whose dramatic inflections are familiar to millions who flocked to his tent revival meetings for close to half a century.
The resonating voice quivers as the sound of applause rises and reverberates through the white circus-size tent glowing against the night sky.
Roberts' face is as widely recognized as the phrase that has opened his tent revival meetings around the world.
Even those who have never seen, in person, perhaps the best-known evangelist of this century know the words, for millions watched his image flicker weekly on early black and white television sets during the heyday of tent revivals in the 1950s and '60s.
On Monday, Roberts, 77, packed to overflowing a 3,500-seat tent on the grounds of the Founders Inn for the second night of the weeklong Revivalfest '95. The crusade kicks off the Christian Broadcasting Network's five-year mission aimed at converting 500 million people to Christianity.
In beginning its crusade with tent revivals, CBN is harking back to a time before advanced technology and satellites allowed it to broadcast the gospel message around the globe. The American tent revival movement, which began in the 1830s, reached its peak in the second half of the 20th century, but by the 1960s, had lost much of its attraction as evangelists moved to new air-conditioned auditoriums and convention centers.
Two hours before Monday night's appearance by Roberts, hundreds stood and swayed and clapped their hands as the Bethel Temple choir belted out old-fashioned tent meeting tunes.
Across the sawdust-strewn floor of the tent, the crowd of young and old was on its feet, praying and raising arms.
``Holy Ghost come on down,'' echoed the voices of the choir.
``I feel I'm with the Holy Ghost,'' said Elizabeth Alston, 76, shouting to be heard over the music. ``I can clap and shout because I feel the spirit of God.''
Like many in the crowd, Alston's been going to tent meetings ``from childhood up.''
``When we were kids, it was what we had all the time,'' said Herbert Milan of Virginia Beach.
``I have really good memories of tent meetings,'' said Jackie Sansbury of Portsmouth.
When Roberts finally steps before the crowd, he has accolades for Pat Robertson, who he says is ``on fire for God.''
As he's always done, Roberts jokes with the crowd, then continues preaching in a more serious tone, his voice rising and falling in a rhythm to match the crowd's swaying.
``Satan has shot his bullets off, and we've counted his bullets,'' Roberts says. ``The Holy Ghost has a shotgun'' to the devil's chin, ``and he's saying, `Devil, it's time you took your hand off. Loose God's people.' ''
Roberts continues his message of hope and deliverance, weaving his sermon with adventures from crusades of the past.
He recounts his own healing from tuberculosis as a child and talks about the tent preachers who influenced his life growing up in rural Oklahoma.
When Roberts finishes his five-point message of faith, he calls Robertson back up to the podium and asks him to join in prayer for the sick.
As Roberts stretches his hand over the right side of the crowd he calls on the Lord to remove the diseases and afflictions, which Robertson calls out by name.
During the heyday of his traveling ministry, Roberts' ``tent cathedrals'' drew crowds of as many as 20,000.
Roberts is one of a host of well-known evangelists taking part in Robertson's Revivalfest '95, which continues nightly through Saturday, concluding with the dedication of the Gospel Flame on Sunday.
Though ``quite a change'' for him, the old-fashioned revival meetings are symbolic of the ``extraordinary things'' that have taken place around the world during the past five years, said Robertson, whose vision for the near future includes ``thrusts into Asia, the Middle East.''
The old-time gospel gatherings of Revivalfest '95 are ``symbolic'' of the fact that ``the gospel never changes, though the delivery system does,'' said Robertson.
``There is not a single area of the world that hasn't experienced this'' spiritual revival, said Robertson, who will travel to other countries over the next five years.
``I have the feeling that all over the world this is a key time in history,'' said Robertson. ``As we approach the end of the millennium, there is an intensity in the evangelical and Catholic churches.'' MEMO: Color staff photo appears on page B1 ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by HUY NGUYEN/
Worshippers raise their hands Monday night as evangelist Oral
Roberts and Christian Broadcasing Network's Pat Robertson pray for
the sick at a revival gathering in Virginia Beach.
KEYWORDS: REVIVAL by CNB