Published: November 24, 2008 10:15 am         

Revival goes on amid protests

Middlebury native Kyle Martin had a busy seven days in Santa Fe, N.M., in September.

He organized a revival that drew 1,000 worshippers on the first night. His revival was protested by men wearing women’s clothing. He saw “people come forward on their knees” to accept Christ. He received e-mails denouncing him for intolerance and asking him to leave the city at once. He was bombarded by reporters. He got his own radio show that is broadcast across New Mexico and, via the Web, across the world.

All in all, Martin said, it was an exhausting, exhilarating and enlightening week.

“Aside from protesters, interesting e-mails and a (hate) phone call, the Lord is stirring the spiritual climate of Santa Fe,” Martin said. “He is drawing his people to him. People are being revived, renewed, and refreshed in the Lord.”

The seven-day revival in Santa Fe was Martin’s second large revival project.

Martin, 29, is a resident of Dallas and an associate pastor at Dallas Bible Church.

After spearheading a successful 40-day tent revival in Dallas in 2007, Martin felt called to host a seven-day revival in Santa Fe.

He scouted the area and made connections with church and city leaders, including Santa Fe Mayor David Coss. The mayor volunteered to speak on the revival’s opening night at the city’s brand-new convention center.

Mayor a no-show

But when the opening day of the revival arrived, Coss sent Martin an e-mail stating he was canceling his appearance. Martin thought Coss had another speaking engagement, but he soon learned via phone calls from reporters that Coss had backed out after he had been questioned about a quote denouncing homosexuality on the Revive Sante Fe Web site.

On the Web site, Martin lists evangelist Bill Bright’s six indicators “that reveal that our nation’s society is heading toward the path of national destruction.” The first five include the removal of God in society, selfishness, crime, faulty family values and the decisions of the Supreme Court.

It was the sixth “indicator” that caused the controversy: “The Homosexual Explosion.” The sixth point states “Enough is enough. The comparisons of Sodom and Gomorrah to the United States are, unfortunately accurate. We must stop affirming the homosexual lifestyle as an accepted behavior within society.”

Mayor Coss sent out press releases picked up by Santa Fe area newspapers stating he was backing out of the revival because he believed in promoting Santa Fe’s tradition of tolerance.

Once the news came out that Coss had canceled his revival appearance and why, “Let me tell you they were all over my case,” Martin said. “I got more calls from the press that Monday than I ever have in my life.”

Martin began receiving negative e-mails and calls — with some people demanding he leave the city immediately — and he started doing live radio and television appearances to explain the nature of the revival.

While Martin stands by the words of Bill Bright and believes them to be biblically accurate, he said the issue of homosexuality wasn’t a planned topic for the revival.

“Never once did we talk about or mention homosexuality,” Martin said of the seven days of worship. “That was not even our focus.”

The revival was protested one day by a group of men wearing women’s clothing carrying signs that said “God still loves me,” Martin said.

“What was neat is how our people treated them. They went out and gave them water,” Martin said. “There was no hate in our message at all.”

Carrying on

Thursday the 18th was the hardest day of the revival for Martin.

“I’d never experienced anything like this,” he said of the ill-will directed at him. “I was tired and people were ripping me up. I’m just a kid from Middlebury who wants to mention Christ to people. The media wanted to pit me against the mayor of the city.”

He said a song by Jaci Velasquez, who performed at the revival (along with the Los Lonely Boys and Sheila E, among others) helped remind him of why he was there.

“I came here to love these people,” Martin said. He said his goal to serve Jesus “without compromise and with truth and love,” was reaffirmed that night.

He said he was also blessed with the support of many people, including Sante Fe pastors and residents and his team of 30 people from Dallas.

He was also supported by his parents, Larry and Gloria Martin of Middlebury, who traveled to Santa Fe for the revival.

Gloria Martin said while the negative press obviously troubled her son, “It didn’t shake him.”

She said speaking not as a mom, but as a fellow believer, “That’s what we saw in him. It was visible, his strength. It reminded me as a Christian that I am to stand bold in my faith.”

To Gloria, the controversy didn’t detract from the success of the event.

“What we experienced was the refreshing presence of the Lord. The holy spirit was there,” she said.

No regrets

She also believes that spirit will keep moving in Santa Fe. A group of pastors has started meeting regularly and a Christian writer’s guild formed, she said.

Kyle Martin said he, too, believes the revival was blessed and was a success, despite the media attention. He said people came forward on their knees to be saved and God “really moved walls and all this controversy just fell.”

“The first night, we had 1,000 people. That in itself is an amazing testimony,” Martin said.

When asked if, in hindsight, he would have left the quote on the Web site if he had known what would happen, Martin replied: “Absolutely. If you stick to the Scriptures, it’s not always the most welcome message.”