Revive Yazoo will be returning to the community next week with the hopes of rebuilding faith and creating the desire to bring disciples closer together.
Although it may say “Yazoo” in its title, it is geared toward the entire country and world during these turbulent times.
“For the nation to be a positive impact, the church needs to be revived,” said Rev. George Woodliff, who helped organize the effort a few years ago. “I keep thinking of the saying, ‘no soul left behind.’ Let that saying be in the heart of all the churches in Yazoo City.”
Revive Yazoo will be held July 11-15, beginning at 7 p.m. nightly, at McCoy Elementary School Cafetorium, located behind Yazoo City High School.
This year’s speakers include Bishop Edward Duku, Pastor Dan Willis and Dr. Robert and Pam Armstrong.
Revive Yazoo has grown in its success each year since its humble beginnings in 2013 when Duku first reached out to the Yazoo community.
“Bishop Duku is a top level, international speaker,” Woodliff said. “He could go to any enormous church anywhere in the world,” Woodliff said, on Duku’s first visit to Yazoo City. “But he came to this little town because he truly believes God is going to do something extraordinary here. God is calling him here.”
Revive Yazoo kicked off with a city-wide service in 2014 after the support and endorsement of the Yazoo Ministerial Association.
“To my surprise, I thought it would be a one-time thing,” Woodliff said. “But then Bishop Duku told me that he wanted to come back. He wants this to be an ongoing thing because he believes in what God is going to do in this little city.”
Duku has brought many visitors and guests with him during his travels to Yazoo City. That will continue this year with two other guests during the local revival.
“It’s hard to get an outside perspective when you live here,” Woodliff said. “But there are other people who come in from all walks of life who see something else here. “
Woodliff said there are healthy churches within the community. And many guests are excited about the unity found within many of those congregations.
But there is still work to be done.
“You can just look at the nation to see it’s not working,” Woodliff said. “The church is not penetrating society. We need to come together to empower the church again. That is possible in Yazoo City.”
Woodliff said God is speaking through a variety of efforts and people within the community.
“God wants to do something here,” he said. “He is using different people with no connections, and they are saying the same thing. God wants to do something in Yazoo City.”
Woodliff said there is no doubt that Yazoo City needs a revival.
“There are broken families,” he said. “The school system is on edge. There is violence and murders. It all points to a tremendous need for the church to be revived.”
