For Asbury students Josiah Straith and Lauren Wilding, what began as a quiet October weekend in Kentucky turned into something unforgettable on the National Mall — a gathering called Communion USA, where thousands of believers from across the country came together in prayer and worship.
Straith, 19, first heard about the event while volunteering on the audio team at a prayer conference in Wilmore. “Pastor showed a video of it,” he said. “I was like, ‘Yo, this is sick.’” He hadn’t expected to go — he had a Spanish exam, a meeting and was feeling sick — but a text from a pastor he’d never met in person changed everything.
“He messaged me and said, ‘You should be coming to D.C. with us,’” Straith recalled. “That’s when I knew something was up.”
After prayer with friends and mentors, Straith said his cold disappeared. “My sinuses just cleared. The Lord provided,” he said. His exam and meeting were rescheduled the same day. “Every obstacle just fell away,” he said.
Driving through the night alone, Straith stopped in West Virginia. “Later I found out there wasn’t another hotel for 30 or 40 miles,” he said. “The Lord provided again.” By dawn, he was standing on the National Mall, surrounded by worship tents and hundreds of voices singing in the morning air.
When one of the event’s galas fell apart in the planning stages, Straith said it was a lesson in humility. “It was chaos,” he said. “But it showed me what happens when there’s no unity in the body of Christ.”
Later that night, he helped lead worship from 3 to 5 a.m. “It was cold, it was quiet — but it was powerful,” he said. “Even when it was just a few of us, the Spirit was still moving.”
Over the next day, Straith and a few companions walked the row of tents and began to pray for people, “We prayed for over 30 people — maybe 50,” he said. “Every time, it was like God showed us exactly what they needed.” One encounter in particular stayed with him. “I felt pain in my lower back before meeting a man who asked for prayer for that exact pain,” he said. “When we prayed, I felt it lift. It was the first time I saw God heal someone right in front of me.”
Not every moment was light. “There was a witch convention happening in D.C. that same weekend,” Straith said. “We could feel the opposition — like something trying to shut us down.” Still, he said, the weekend strengthened his faith. “God made it clear that if I keep walking in obedience, there will be a target on my back,” he said. “But the price is worth it.”
While Straith’s experience was filled with action and spiritual battle, Lauren Wilding’s time at Communion USA revealed the quieter, more reflective side of worship.
Wilding, who heard about the event through a family friend, said she reached out to Kentucky’s Communion representative on a whim. “I thought, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said.
Arriving Friday night, she entered a tent just as worship ended and prayer began. “They invited people to stand if they had scars from cutting themselves,” Wilding said. “Then everyone gathered around and prayed for healing. Some people checked — and the scars were gone. It was so powerful. I was in tears.”
Later that evening, she led worship in one of the smaller tents. “It was a little awkward at first,” she said with a laugh. “People were walking by, and I was the only one in there. But then this guy, Gerry Morford, came and started playing trumpet, cajón and recorder. It was so cool to see people just jump in with whatever gifts they had.”
Her second night brought a different atmosphere. “Everyone was singing about freedom and joy,” she said. “People were dancing, laughing — it really felt like heaven on earth.”
Still, Wilding wrestled with questions afterward. “I was honestly overwhelmed,” she admitted. “It was beautiful to see healing and unity, but I was also wondering if that’s the right way to spread the gospel. There was a lot of emotion, and I wasn’t always sure where it was coming from – us or the Holyor Holy Spirit.”
Coming from a charismatic background, Wilding said she wasn’t surprised by the intensity but wanted balance. “I think the best way to spread the gospel is to love people and meet them where they are,” she said. “But I also think what happened in D.C. made a real impact — it showed the world that worship still matters.”
Both Straith and Wilding said the event reminded them of what unity in the Church can look like when believers set aside differences. “It wasn’t about hype,” Straith said. “It was about walking in faith and boldness.”
Wilding agreed. “It felt like one big family reunion,” she said. “Everyone using their spiritual gifts, praying for each other, and just being the body of Christ together.”
For both students, Communion USA became more than an event — it was an awakening. “The American Church is waking up,” Straith said. “There’s a generation that’s still alive and burning for Jesus.”
Wilding echoed that same truth. “There’s a remnant in America,” she said softly. “We’re still awake. We’re still living for Him.”
Photo courtesy of Josiah Straith.
