By Hannah Webb | Opinion Editor
A hush settled over Elliston Chapel as the clock pushed past midnight, the usual rhythms of campus life replaced by whispered prayers, soft worship and the quiet persistence of students choosing to stay awake.
For the first time, Baylor hosted “Awake,” an all-night prayer and worship event that ran from 9 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday. The gathering, which began at Wheaton College, invited students to move through structured periods of prayer, reflection and worship in a setting that emphasized stillness over spectacle.
Kappa, Hawaii, second-year seminary student Tabitha Ross helped bring the event to Baylor and framed its purpose from the outset.
“We are here to stay awake, seeking the presence of God and the person of Jesus,” Ross said.
Ross described “Awake” as more than a single-night event, but as a deliberate spiritual progression.
“Awake is an all-night prayer vigil,” Ross said. “Going through different kinds of prayer … moving from recognizing the comfort we’re living in to asking God for a deeper craving for himself, to conviction to him, to consecration and then to commissioning — asking the Lord where he wants us to be.”
The concept traces back to Ross’s time at Wheaton College, where the first vigils began informally among students longing for revival. She recalled initially resisting the idea.
“I thought staying up all night sounded awful,” Ross said. “And then I went, and it changed my life. It really gave me this new imagination for the Lord.”
What began as a reluctant attendance became a sustained practice, as Ross said they continued hosting the nights throughout her senior year.
The gatherings gained renewed momentum in 2023, coinciding with the Asbury revival, and organizers said doors continued to open for expansion to other campuses, including Baylor.
The urgency behind the movement is often expressed in direct, emphatic language.
“Hey, wake up — God is coming,” Ross said. “The Lord is asking who is going to care. Wake up and say it’s you.”
Ross said her hope for the night centered on clarity — not just emotional experience, but a reorientation toward Christ.
She said she is “hoping and praying that people would genuinely see Jesus Christ — not who we’ve made him out to be … but who he actually is,” adding that the natural response should be “worship that he is worthy of.”
The event also builds on spiritual momentum from FM72, a recent Baylor worship gathering, which Ross described as a starting point rather than a conclusion. She said it has been “a really cool push” toward going “deeper and deeper and deeper” in faith.
Cade Rex, a Wheaton graduate who helped organize the Baylor event, said the vision extends beyond a single night of prayer. Rex, who previously worked on Baylor’s grounds crew and now teaches at Live Oak Middle School, said the goal is long-term transformation.
“Our vision is that God would take what he was stirring at FM72 and continue to deepen that,” Rex said.
He added that organizers hope students move toward “a consecrated life where their entire life is given to Jesus.”
Rex said the idea to bring “Awake” to Baylor emerged organically as several Wheaton alumni found themselves in Waco at the same time. He sensed “an open door” to invite Baylor students into the same experience that had shaped his own life.
“My life has been radically changed by these nights,” Rex said. “I am not the same person without these nights.”
He emphasized Baylor’s potential, calling college students “the most sendable people in the world” and expressing hope that participants would be mobilized beyond campus.
He also framed the movement within a broader generational context, saying he believes “God is stirring something in Gen Z — a revival, a zeal,” and that now is the time to lean into prayer and spiritual renewal.
For students attending, the night carried both personal and communal significance.
Cypress senior Peter Stewart said he came after an invitation from his Bible study leaders with a simple goal: to pray.
“I came to Awake because I wanted to pray,” Stewart said.
He explained that much of his focus was outward, lifting up friends who are struggling and asking for guidance in sharing his faith.
“I am praying to have the right words to say … because they deserve to know Christ,” he said.
Stewart described the night as a continuation of meaningful moments he has already experienced at Baylor, particularly in Elliston Chapel. He said some of his favorite memories involve praying there with friends, and that “tonight is adding to it.”
Unlike large, high-energy worship events, Stewart said he appreciated the quieter nature of “Awake.”
He described it as “a meet-where-I-am night,” adding that he was open to whatever outcome the experience might bring — whether simple fellowship or personal change.
Looking ahead, Stewart said he hopes the event fosters a culture of communal prayer on campus.
“I really hope that there is a lot of people praying in groups and inviting people to pray,” he said. “That is what is going to change Baylor.”
