[2] A small congregation of about 180 people,[3] Smithton Community Church, hosted steady crowds for three years resulting in over 250,000 visitors.
Having pastored for 13 years in this small town, Gray was ready to quit due to discouragement over some aggressive, and possibly undeserved, criticism.
(OCTOBER 1, 2001) [6] "[This quote needs a citation] Kansas City provided an opportunity for people who wanted to join the congregation to find jobs and housing.
Edith Blumhofer, director of Wheaton College's Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals, says the revival's relocation is surprising in its scale.
"People who jump at a religious movement with enthusiasm do what it takes to be fully immersed in it," she says, "but for a whole church body to move is unusual, especially from a rural to urban setting.