Over 8,000 Students Worship Christ at University of Tennessee Revival Event
Michael Foust
Audio By Carbonatix
By Michael Foust, Crosswalk.com
Thousands of college students gathered on the University of Tennessee campus Tuesday night to lift up the name of Jesus as part of a revival movement that began two years ago at Auburn University and has since spread to some 20 schools nationwide. The Unite US event drew more than 8,000 students into the university’s Food City Center, where 500 made decisions for Christ and hundreds were baptized in portable tanks, cheered on by their friends.
“We are blown away,” the official Unite US Instagram page said.
“This is a night we won’t forget! God is so good!” said Unite US founder and visionary Tonya Prewett.
Similar to other Unite US gatherings, the Tennessee event included video promotions by local coaches and athletes. Tennessee basketball head coach Rick Barnes -- fresh off back-to-back appearances in the Elite Eight -- told students in a video to “bring a friend, pack this place out” and “worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
“It's time to do it. It's time for that revival,” Barnes said.
Basketball players Nate Ament and Cade Phillips also recorded promotional videos.
“Let’s come and worship Jesus,” said Ament, a potential top 10 pick in the 2026 NBA draft.
Elevation Worship, a high-energy CCM group, led in worship through music.
“Jesus is moving in Gen Z and this is just the beginning,” Unite US said on Instagram.
Multiple studies indicate that Gen Z is open to Christ. An April Barna report found that the share of Gen Z men who say they are committed to Jesus climbed from 52 percent in 2019 to 67 percent in 2025, while among Gen Z women it rose from 54 percent to 61 percent. A September Barna study found that the average Gen Z attendee now shows up nearly twice a month -- more frequently than any other age group.
“This younger generation, they're hungry for truth, they're hungry for freedom, they're hungry for something better than what this world is selling them -- because they keep coming up empty,” said Madison (Prewett) Troutt, who helped organize the first Unite US event and is Tonya Prewett’s daughter. Troutt made the comments on the Becoming Something podcast.
“They keep coming up short. They're like, ‘Yeah, I tried that -- I tried the drugs, I tried these things. I've believed a lot of lies about my identity.’”
The next Unite US will take place on Nov. 21 at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.
Photo credit: ©ChadPrewettonX
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
