OVERFLOW CROWDS GATHER FOR FRANKLIN GRAHAM FESTIVAL
By Jeremy Reynalds (07/12/05)
FORMERLY COMMUNIST MOLDOVA: More than 93,000 People Gather for Largest Evangelistic Event in the Country
Only 15 years ago, some citizens of Moldova were imprisoned for just expressing their Christian faith.
Yet last weekend saw a huge change for citizens of Moldova (located in Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania ), one the poorest countries in Europe, as tens of thousands of people who formerly suffered under a strict communist regime joined with Franklin Graham in National Stadium to celebrate their freedom and faith.
According to a news release, the Festival of Hope with Franklin Graham, July 8-10 in the nation's capital of Chisinau, drew crowds totaling 93,907 to the country's largest stadium.
By the final night of the Franklin Graham Festival (FGF), 6,920 people had responded to the invitation to put their faith in Jesus Christ. FGF reported that with overflow crowds each night, it was one of the largest religious events in the nation's history. Some people traveled more than four hours each night to get there. More than 1,200 specially arranged buses and trains brought people from remote regions of the country.
"Years ago I drove to the border of this country, looked through the heavily guarded gate, and prayed that one day you would be free and I would have an opportunity to come back," said Graham in a news release. "Now I am here with tens of thousands of you, and this is a free nation, but I want you to have a spiritual freedom found in the hope and love of Jesus Christ."
Graham, 52, came to Moldova at the invitation of pastors, leaders, and churches. More than 700 churches and 3,700 volunteers from multiple denominations participated in the Festival.
Crowds heard Graham's messages translated into Romanian and Russian, the two languages used interchangeably in Moldova, FGF reported. The event featured traditional and inspirational music by local and international artists.
Special guests included Americans John and Anne Barbour, who performed in English and Romanian, and guitarist Dennis Agajanian. A local choir of 2,000 people also performed, along with musicians from Moldova, Belarus, Ukraine, Italy, and Romania.
In conjunction with the Festival, FGF reported that teams from Graham's international Christian relief organization Samaritan's Purse (www.samaritanspurse.org/home.asp), handed out thousands of gift-filled shoe boxes to local underprivileged children. This year, the organization's project, known as Operation Christmas Child, will hand-deliver more than 7 million shoe box gifts to needy children in 95 countries.
During the week, about 40 church leaders from across Eastern Europe met with Graham and extended invitations for him to return to the region to hold Festivals in their countries.
According to FGF, Graham's next event in Eastern Europe is scheduled for Kiev, Ukraine, in 2007.
Graham recently led Festivals in Australia, Paraguay, and Angola speaking to some 340,000 people. Later this year, he will hold U.S. Festivals in Corpus Christi, Texas; and Shreveport, La.
For more information about Franklin Graham Festivals, go to www.grahamfestival.org/index.asp
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