New Stornoway song calls for Christian revival

The worship team at Martin's Memorial Church, Stornoway, have released a song after hundreds attended this year's Hebrides Revival Conference.

The song, entitled ‘Why Not Here? Why Not Now?', calls for a renewal of Christianity today.

Rev Tommy MacNeil, minister of Martin's Memorial Church, said the song was a "cry from our hearts to God to come again with a fresh outpouring of His Holy Spirit."

"It's not about asking God to replicate what He's done in the past, although of course He could do that if He chose to," he said.

"It's more about releasing a fresh cry in our day and generation for Christ's Kingdom to come and for us to see people coming to faith in Christ and being healed by Him."

Mr MacNeil said the song, which has been a part of Martin's Memorial for a number of years, has "become something of an anthem for the church as they look to God to move again in power in our churches, communities and nation."

The conference followed on from the first event of its kind in 2019, which commemorated the Hebrides Revival of 1949-52.

The conference sessions were led by the Martin's Memorial teaching, pastoral and worship teams as well as there being a youth session and a time of prayer for the nation.

Teaching Pastor Rev Kenny Borthwick, Ministry Support Worker Mrs Donna MacNeil, and Rev Tommy MacNeil each led two sessions on the theme, ‘I will build My church!' the wonderful promise of Jesus recorded in Matthew 16:18 and given in the context of the revelation of who He was ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!'

The conference was attended by about 200 people from across Scotland, the wider United Kingdom, and some from abroad.

Martin's Memorial recorded the song Why not here? Why not now? over the weekend and are pleased to share it with the wider Church.

Why not here? Why not now? can be found here: https://youtu.be/HMA19SM_kNY

During the closing session of this year's Hebrides Revival Conference, Rev Tommy MacNeil was delighted to share details of next year's planned conference from 14-15th June, when they are excited to welcome Pastor Jon Tyson of Church of the City New York who will share on the theme, ‘I see a cloud!'

Teaching and encouraging people to pray for revival in our day will again be the main focus as we consider the experience of Elijah who prayed for floods to come in a time of drought in the nation and who had faith that revival was on its way when he saw a cloud the size of a man's hand on the horizon.

Mr Tyson's video ahead of next year's conference can be found here https://vimeo.com/880300889?share=copy

For more details and information, and to benefit from the early bird price for the conference which will be going live on the 1^st December, please visit www.hebridesrevivalconference.com

Mr MacNeil said: "These are challenging days for the church and there are often more questions than answers about our future.

"However, when God's people gather together in worship and in unity around His Word, He commands His blessing to be upon them.

"Which is what all who came to the conference this year experienced.

"We believe that this will continue to grow and develop next year as God takes us from glory to glory."