A minister was speaking to a group of Mill Girls at the Grove Street Rooms. He told them about what was happening in Ulster and after he left they began to pray. Holy Spirit came down and numbers began to cry and weep for their sins until the whole meeting was affected. A minister who came to help said it was the most remarkable night ever seen in the district. Next day he spoke in the Silk Mill which was the first of meetings that went on for years.
Someone ministering in the area wrote, 'The work thus begun went on for about three years... One thing was very remarkable: we felt that we had not time for anything else. Eternities seemed very near. The glory of God, the love of Christ, the great salvation – how real they were then felt to be. Every living and Christ loving soul was compelled to speak. They could not contain themselves, and speak they did, especially those recently converted, everywhere with new fervour and power. The minister in the pulpit preached Christ as if every word he spoke might save a soul – the elder among his people – the Sabbath school teacher in his class – all felt the need of direct and personal dealing, and (strange it seemed at the time) everyone appeared to expect it. Even the godless bore to be spoken to in private and listened with strange earnestness. They evidently felt that the grip of power was upon their hearts. Our collateral and semi-secular work, although not abandoned altogether, seem to have lost its interest… We felt as if it were almost a waste of time to speak of anything but Christ. Prayer meetings accordingly sprang up in almost every public work in the district… Some of these meetings continue to this day (several years later), and others, after being for a time suspended are again revised…'
Over 200 attended a sabbath school prayer meeting, soon the boys started weeping. Then there were eight boys in tears, each preoccupied with his own state. The whole church was a scene of weeping… God dealt powerfully that night. One boy broke out in a prayer which seemed to rend the very heavens. Where did he get it? Such simple eloquence, such pleading fervour! It was the presence of God. That was the time of his conversion and he found Christ his saviour that night; and not he alone, but many more, I have reason to believe, were gathered by the Great Shepherd’s Arm.
‘The Religious History of Cowcaddens’, by Daniel R Kilpatrick.