ESSEN — Approximately 260 churches from seven major denominations supported the Festival of Hope, and even communities from Bremen and Hamburg arrived in Essen with numerous buses. The turnout was so large that many people had to be turned away at the door because there were no more seats available.

“Your soul is worth more than the value of the entire Earth. God loves you and has created you. He has given you a soul and a spirit, and He has created a void that can only be filled by Him alone,” said Franklin Graham, President and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, to the people in Essen. “There are not many paths to God; there is only one, through His Son Jesus Christ. The Bible says that God loved the world so much that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

With nearly 7,000 attendees, the Festival of Hope was the largest event of its kind in the region since Franklin Graham’s father preached in the Grugahalle three decades ago. Back then, the message of Jesus Christ had reached more than 8 million people in 59 countries.

Franklin Graham was delighted to welcome and invite the many thousands of people to a Festival of Hope during this historic return to the Grugahalle. Live music from the Grammy-nominated and platinum-selling Newsboys, who had 33 No. 1 radio hits, and the Christian German music group Veronika Lohmer & Band, made the event a musical evening of praise as well.

About the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

Franklin Graham leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, founded by Billy Graham in 1950, to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.

About Franklin Graham

Franklin Graham’s first evangelistic event took place in 1989. Since then, he has conducted more than 325 campaigns in 55 countries. As of early 2023, Franklin Graham had already preached in Mexico City, Mexico; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Seoul, Korea. Several tens of thousands of people attended each of the services. In the coming week, Franklin Graham will be preaching in Rome, Italy. Franklin Graham not only serves as the President and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association but also leads Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization that has already helped more than 10 million people in Ukraine. Since the start of the conflict, over 1,500 tons of aid, including 92 million kilograms of food, have been delivered to the war-torn country.

High-resolution video and image materials can be found at: https://media.billygraham.org/Essen-2023-Medienseite/.

Press Contact: Please direct inquiries to: presse@billygraham.org, T: 49 (0) 30 76 883-435.

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