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North Carolina Revival extends to 8th week as thousands continue to gather in Burlington

What was planned to be a week-long gathering of believers has extended into eight weeks as more and more people are drawn to the Burlington Revival in North Carolina.

Photo from Passion 2013, 2 January 2013, 20:42:18. | Wikimedia Commons/Ricardo Camacho

The meetings began on Mother's Day in May at New Hope Baptist Church. It was supposed to be just a one-week gathering, but as the week ended, evangelist C.T. Townsend and pastor Randy Hobbs both felt like God was not finished.

"Brother Randy got up and said, 'I don't believe God's done.' And I said, 'I don't either,'" Townsend told CBN News. Townsend was invited to lead the revival meetings.

The attendees have exceeded the capacity of the New Hope sanctuary, so a large tent was set up to accommodate the meetings. The tent was placed on the property of a businessman named Dan Cox, who lent his place for the event.

Cox himself has been blessed by the Burlington revival.

"The last time I remember anything remotely similar to this happening was in August of 1951 when I went to a tent meeting in Greensboro, and a young evangelist by the name of Billy Graham was speaking," he said, according to CBN News.

Every night, around 2,500 people go to the meeting to worship God and to pray for various petitions, like asking God for people to be saved, for relationships to be restored and for prodigals to return home.

And God has answered prayers. More than 400 people who attended the revival have come to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, according to Townsend.

Unity in the body could also be seen. At one time, 311 pastors attended the gathering, according to the Burlington Revival Facebook page.

The revival, which happens along Danbrook Road in Burlington, N.C., attracts even passers-by. Services are held every night. People also gather for daily morning prayer.

Townsend and Hobbs said prayers are fueling the revival.

"It's just amazing to be a part of this. This is something we've been praying for in our church for several years," Hobbs told CBN News.

North Carolina has gone under fire in recent months for passing into law the mandate that transgender people use bathrooms not according to the gender they identify with but according to their biological sex.

The ongoing Burlington Revival will extend until July 1. The services can also be viewed via livestream.