The Story of The Turning
“This is not just a mission. It’s an outpouring. And it’s only just begun.”
The Turning began almost unexpectedly, in a local Baptist church called The Gate in Reading, England, on May 29th, 2016. What started as a simple, one-week evangelistic outreach quickly became something no one could have predicted—a powerful move of the Holy Spirit that has since been described by many as the most extraordinary grassroots evangelistic outpouring seen in the UK in decades.
The Spark in Reading
Senior Minister Yinka Oyekan and his team had invited Evangelist Tommie Zito, hoping the mission would simply bring a cultural shift toward evangelism in their church. Instead, the town of Reading witnessed an explosion of faith. In just four weeks, over 1,850 people were prayed for on the streets, and more than 65 people a day were committing or recommitting their lives to Christ.
What was so shocking wasn’t just the number of responses—but who was leading them. Children as young as 9 were boldly proclaiming Jesus. Elderly saints, long-time pew-sitters, and previously timid believers were all being awakened to the joy and urgency of sharing the Gospel. The entire church was mobilized—not to invite people into a building, but to go out and meet them where they were: in shopping centres, bus stops, parks, cafés, and city streets.
Ordinary People, Extraordinary God
The heartbeat of The Turning is simple: ordinary believers filled with the Spirit, empowered to share their faith. It’s not about charismatic preachers or well-produced church events—it’s about everyday Christians engaging in Spirit-led encounters with strangers, offering prayer and the invitation to meet Jesus.
Training is accessible, the tools are simple—often just a one-page script and a listening ear—but the impact has been monumental. As one participant said, “I came reluctantly, but by the end of the day I was leading people to Christ. Something shifted in me.”
It Spread Like Fire
The momentum didn’t stay in Reading. As news spread, churches from across the country began calling, asking if the same outpouring could come to their towns. And it did. Within the first year, over 5,000 people responded to the Gospel across the UK, in cities like Liverpool, Southampton, Bristol, Leicester, South Oxfordshire, and beyond.
By 2017, The Turning had crossed national borders into France, where the same grace landed in the city of Lille. The vision was clear: to train 50,000–100,000 believers in the next 18 months, setting up evangelistic teams in every major city willing to receive this grace. The hope? To see a united evangelistic net spread across Europe, bringing in a great harvest.
Presence Before Proclamation
At the core of The Turning is a deep commitment to the presence of God. Before teams hit the streets, they spend time soaking in worship, waiting on God, and being filled afresh. Leaders soon noticed that something supernatural occurred when believers went out from that place of intimacy with Jesus. Strangers would cross the street and ask for prayer. People who had never before been open to faith found themselves saying yes to Jesus.
It became clear: this isn’t about methods or scripts—it’s about the presence of God transforming hearts.
Challenges and Learning
As with every genuine move of God, The Turning has not been without challenges. The sheer volume of responses exposed a major gap: how do we disciple those who respond? Churches weren’t ready. Follow-up systems buckled. Some leaders even asked for fewer follow-up cards because they couldn’t keep up.
Yet this only revealed a deeper truth: our structures must change. To truly steward this outpouring, the whole church must become discipling communities, willing to walk one-on-one with new believers, often outside the walls of traditional church programs. It is a call to rediscover relational discipleship and radical hospitality.
A Prophetic Fulfilment
Years before the first outreach, Yinka had received a prophetic dream of a river of revival flowing from the roof of the church into the streets, as long as the Cross remained central. That dream is now being fulfilled. Other leaders, including the head of the Baptist movement and international prophetic voices, had spoken of a coming move beginning in Reading. The signs of divine timing were everywhere.
Today, there’s a growing belief among many that this could be the beginning of a national and even continental shift, echoing William Seymour’s 1910 prophecy that the next great move of God would involve the whole Body of Christ and continue until Christ returns.
Unity and Collaboration
One of the most beautiful fruits of The Turning is the unprecedented unity among churches. In every town visited, stories emerge of pastors, leaders, and churches laying aside differences to pursue the lost together. This movement isn’t owned by a denomination or a personality. It is stewarded by humble teams, and offered to any church or city willing to host the presence of God and mobilise believers.
As one participant put it: “The Turning isn’t just an event—it’s a new way of living.”
What’s Next?
The story of The Turning is still unfolding. Every week, more cities express interest. More believers are trained. More people encounter Jesus. The harvest is plentiful—but the workers are being raised up.
Will your city be next?
Whether you’re a church leader, a passionate believer, or simply someone longing to see your community transformed, we invite you to join us. The Turning is not about stars—it’s about saints. Ordinary people, filled with an extraordinary God, sharing the Gospel, one encounter at a time.
This is mass evangelism without the stadium. This is the priesthood of all believers in action. This is the awakening of a generation.
This is The Turning.