Charlie Kirk’s Memorial a Moment of Celebration and Revival, Attendees Say

GLENDALE, Ariz.—Charlie Kirk’s memorial at State Farm Stadium on Sept. 21 was not exactly a day of mourning, according to attendees who spoke with The Epoch Times.

These individuals, like the tens of thousands in attendance, came from dramatically different walks of life, including their ages and where they traveled from to be there.

But they all saw the day as primarily a moment of celebration and a kick-off for revival for the country, especially in terms of faith and patriotism.

They also, along with many of the day’s speakers, took the messages of Kirk’s life as a call to action in a spiritual, communal, and political sense.

No Mourning, All Celebration

David Watz, a 20-year-old from Arizona, told The Epoch Times he didn’t closely follow Kirk’s work but thought well of the conservative political commentator and was saddened when he first learned of the assassination.

Watz said he and his sister prayed together on the day that Kirk was killed. As he attended the memorial service on Sept. 21, however, he said the atmosphere was more celebratory.

“I think that mourning death is important, and it’s beautiful in its own way, but there is a power to celebrating someone’s life,” Watz said.

Hezekiah Rivers, 15, emphasized to The Epoch Times that he personally saw the day as more of a time of celebration for Kirk’s life’s work and the legacy that he will leave.

“Obviously, we’re all sad about what happened with Charlie Kirk,” Hezekiah told The Epoch Times. “But what is going to come after this?”

“This is just the beginning of what he wanted to occur.”

A Moment of Revival

What Kirk would have wanted, or at least would have seen on Sept. 21, was what attendees and the event’s high-profile speakers called a spiritual and patriotic revival among Americans.

One attendee, who asked to be identified only by her first name, Joy, said that the term “revival” to her means that one’s “heart is stirred after God.”

“You’re willing to lay everything down” to live out your beliefs, she said.

Joy told The Epoch Times that she’s been praying for years for a sense of spiritual revival like the kind she saw in the crowd at State Farm Stadium.

“We’ve been praying for years for revival and looking to God to unite this country. And it’s sad that it had to come through something like this, but God knows what he’s doing,” she said.

Tristen Glazebrook, 21, was at his job as an assistant children’s pastor at a church in Houston when he learned that Kirk had been shot. Glazebrook said he and those at his church immediately gathered to pray on Kirk’s behalf.

Glazebrook said he got the sense that a revival was taking place in the days that followed Kirk’s death.

“We saw an influx and overflow of people that came to our church, and it was just because of this one event that was taking place,” he told The Epoch Times.

That revival was recognized by many of the speakers, including Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, who issued a call to action to those who are new or have come back to the Christian faith to stay committed to the spiritual life.

“The enemy will tempt you the most in a time like this one,” she said. “God will always be there for you, but you must choose to mark your soul again and again.”

Communal, Religious, Political Call to Action

Jordan Struble, a father of two teenage girls from Arizona, said Kirk’s example leads him to strive to be the best father and husband he can be, and to be outspoken about his values to those around him.

“We have strong beliefs, but we don’t always act on them and share. And he was bold and had no issue sharing his faith, and he was consistent in doing it,” Jordan said.

Jordan’s wife, Kay Struble, said the revival atmosphere inspires in her a desire to be more outspoken about her Christian faith.

“It’s definitely a faith revival, and we’re living it in real time. It’s incredibly moving. It makes you want to go out and proclaim your faith unapologetically,” she said.

An American Revival

Attendees made it known to The Epoch Times that they did not believe this revival’s call to action was exclusive to their religion.

They expressed a sense of hope for the future and a call to action for everyone to get out into their communities and reestablish peaceful dialogue with each other for the next generation and for the country.

“Do not sit back,” Chris Johnson from Pennsylvania told The Epoch Times. “Get out there. Talk to your friends. Talk to your neighbors. Talk to your coworkers. Talk to your school, teammates, and just get out there and build a bond, build a bridge where everybody can have dialogue. Have a debate, and peacefully come to what’s best for ourselves and this country.”

Meredith Hope, of Palm Beach, Florida, likewise said the ultimate call to action from the Sept. 21 memorial service is to not “be bullied by people who have a differing opinion … but to stand firm” in your beliefs.

Many also saw it as a political call to action, with many choosing to register to vote at the event.

Scott Presler, a conservative get-out-the-vote activist from Pennsylvania, told The Epoch Times he had seen Republicans pick up new voter registrations in his home state at twice the rate of Democrats in the days since Kirk’s assassination.

“We’re seeing a lot of the Democratic Party switch to Republican. We’re seeing independents switch to Republican,” Presler said.

But he saw a shift that went beyond his home state.

“Look around at all of the young people here,” he added. “I think we’re going to see a demographic change for the next generation.”

That being said, Presler said that Kirk would want to be remembered for his faith and for bringing people into the faith.