Sharon Orphanage Prayer Awakening (North Battleford, 1948)

On February 12, 1948, students at the Sharon Orphanage and Schools (often associated with Sharon Bible College) in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, entered a sustained season of earnest prayer, repentance, and longing for God. What began quietly in humble gatherings grew into extended times of worship, confession of sin, reconciliation, and a renewed appetite for Scripture. Many participants testified to a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit that stirred courage to forsake compromise and pursue holiness with practical obedience.

The setting mattered: a small, disciplined community where young believers lived close to one another and could not easily hide bitterness, pride, or secret sin. In that environment, repentance became a kind of spiritual heroism—choosing truth over reputation and surrender over self-protection. The movement’s early testimony often stressed that God meets the lowly: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).

Key Leaders and Shepherding

George Hawtin and Ern Hawtin, along with Percy Hunt, helped guide the gatherings and gave structure to what might otherwise have become disorderly enthusiasm. Their leadership emphasized biblical preaching, reverent worship, and a serious expectation that the gifts of the Spirit should build up the church rather than promote personalities. The laying on of hands, prayer for consecration, and spoken encouragement were frequently reported features, understood as pastoral ministry aimed at strengthening faith and calling believers to service.

Those who attended described a spiritual atmosphere marked by both tenderness and moral clarity—comfort for the repentant, and warning for the double-minded. In this sense, the movement’s “power” was not merely emotional intensity but a renewed fear of the Lord, expressed in changed lives, forgiveness, and readiness to obey.

Latter Rain Movement and Ongoing Significance

The events at Sharon became closely linked with what came to be known as the Latter Rain Movement, spreading interest in revival, missions, and prayer across wider networks. Later controversies and excesses in some circles did arise, yet the February 1948 account endures as a reminder that God can revive ordinary people who seek Him with clean hands and honest hearts: “if My people… humble themselves and pray… and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven” (2 Chronicles 7:14).