Nearly 2,000 College Students Surrender to Christ at Ohio State, ‘God Is Moving’
Nearly 2,000 students at Ohio State University surrendered their lives to Jesus Tuesday during a one-night worship service that is part of the Unite Us movement sweeping the nation. The event drew more than 6,500 students to the Schottenstein Center -- the home of the Buckeyes basketball team -- and also attracted support from players of the national championship football team.
"We've been in awe of how God has already been moving on this campus over the past year, and He met us here again tonight," the official Unite Us Instagram page said.
"God is moving in this generation, and we know that He's just getting started!"
Nearly 2,000 students "responded to the altar call - experiencing the freedom only He can bring," Unite Us said.
The Unite Us movement is one of the most significant developments in American Christianity in recent months. It began September 12, 2023, at Auburn University, when thousands of college students gathered to worship and lift up the name of Jesus. Since then, similar Unite Us events have been held on nearly a dozen university campuses: Florida State, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Kentucky.
At each location, campus leaders -- often joined by well-known athletes -- invite students to attend.
Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson, fresh off a national championship season, recorded a video encouraging students to "experience God's presence, hear the good news about Jesus Christ, and worship Him together." Colby Baumann, a guard on the basketball team, also recorded a message.
"I am in awe of how God is moving on college campuses," said Tonya Prewett, the visionary behind Unite Us.
Author and speaker Jennie Allen, the visionary behind the IF:Gatherings and Gather 25, spoke at the Ohio State event.
"What began as just a one-time thing has turned into quite a movement," Allen told Crosswalk Headlines.
Members of Generation Z, she said, have a "real hunger for something deeper than what they've been given so far."
"And so it really is deeply encouraging to watch."
This year, Unite Us has scheduled stops at Purdue (March 5), West Virginia (March 11), SMU (April 8) and Baylor (April 15).
Photo Credit: ©Instagram/Unite Us
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.
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Originally published February 20, 2025.
