(ChurchLeaders) As California continues to be hit hard by COVID-19, religious leaders in the state say spiritual hunger is increasing too. Shane Idleman, pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Lancaster, 60 miles north of Los Angeles, points to that hunger as the reason his church’s Stadium Revival has taken off.
More than 1,000 worshipers—including many without a connection to Westside—attended Saturday evening’s gathering at a local stadium. Outdoor worship complete with a prayer tent will continue there throughout September, “God willing,” says Idleman (no relation to pastor and author Kyle Idleman). The initial response, he says, “showed how spiritually hungry people are to be encouraged and uplifted and even convicted.”