From Hollywood to the halls of college campuses across the country, actor Jen Lilly is moving forward with what she calls a “vision” from the Holy Spirit.
“I had a spiritual vision of bright pink waves rising across the university campus, accompanied by the fire and resurrection of the Holy Spirit,” she said on CBN’s “Faith in Culture.” “And I thought, ‘Lord, what is this?'” And he gave me the name, ‘Wake Up Your Campus.’ ”
Lilly, a “Days of Our Lives” alumnus and Hallmark movie regular, revealed to CBN News that she will be officially embarking on a four-week college tour starting March 29.
Thirty-three campus ministries have expressed interest in hosting the campaign, and Lilly continues to raise funds to extend the tour.
All of this comes amid a spiritual awakening in colleges and universities across the United States. For example, a spiritual phenomenon was underway this month at the University of Central Florida, where approximately 1,600 students responded to the gospel.
Lily’s upcoming campus events will center around her recently published book, 365-day devotional Wake Up Your Faith. The celebrity said he sent kits in advance to campus ministry coordinators. Each kit contains dozens of her books and 40 pink tickets to hide around campus, engraved with a message asking the finder if they would like to enter to win $1,000.
As the treasure hunt unfolds and ticket finders involve others in the challenge, each step connects students directly with missionary leaders on campus. Lilly said the “overarching goal” of these challenges is “follow-up discipleship.”
“It’s really like a treasure hunt that leads directly to Jesus,” she said.
Lily’s vision was born out of a generational enthusiasm for spiritual meaning, she explained.
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She compared members of Generation Z to the teens and 20-somethings of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Many of them were fascinated by the hippie and free love culture that dominated this era.
Disillusioned with the social norms of the 1950s and 60s, young people at the time turned to illegal drug use and sexual exploration that countered Biblical sexuality. There was no particular reason for the rise of the hippie generation, but it was sparked, at least in part, by a hunger for something more meaningful, more essential, something that previous generations lacked, at least in perception.
Those poor decisions paved the way for a spiritual awakening that eventually became known as the “Jesus Movement” and spread primarily throughout Southern California, giving the gospel as an answer to a generation of lost and questioning young people.
“I found that the ‘Jesus People’ and hippies of the ’70s had a lot in common with today’s Generation Z, kids in college today,” Lilly said. “The similarity is that they’re looking for truth in a lot of the wrong places, but they’re done with the tricks, they’re done with the sales pitch. They just don’t like to be divisive and they really want the truth.”
Lily seems to be thinking about something. This data certainly supports the belief that young Americans are looking for answers to important spiritual questions.
In the aftermath of the assassination of Christian activist Charlie Kirk last September, there was a clear upsurge in spiritual conversations, with a notable increase in church attendance and Bible sales, posting a 22% jump over the previous year.
According to the latest Church Situation Survey by Barna Group, Bible reading is on the rise among Gen Z and Millennials, with nearly half saying they read the Bible weekly. And among all American adults, the percentage of Americans who read the Bible each week increased by 12 percentage points, from 30% in 2024 to 42% in 2025.
However, there is a disparity between the number of Americans who read the Bible and the percentage who affirm its truth. Barna Group CEO David Kinnaman said of the survey results that “engagement exceeds confidence” and that the gap was “remarkable”.
That’s why for Lily, discipleship is a key element of what she hopes to see unfold on college campuses across the country. She referred to the parable of the farmer in Matthew 13:19, where Jesus said, “The seeds that fell by the path represent those who have heard the message of the kingdom but do not understand it. Then the evil one will come and take away the seed that was planted in their hearts” (NLT).
“The enemy will come and try to pluck that seed out of their hearts,” she said, referring to sharing the gospel with unbelievers. “So connecting them[to the local church]is definitely a strategic key, and that’s definitely how the Kingdom of God works.”
If you would like to learn more about Lilly’s “Wake Up Your Campus” campaign or want to contribute to the ministry, click here. You can read our full conversation with Lily in the “Faith in Culture” episode embedded above.
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