Last weekend, at Hobart, Tasmania in South East Australia, more than 10,500 attended Franklin’s festival and it proved to be very fruitful. Ninety percent of local churches across denominational lines gathered for the festival.
Some of the events were held outdoors in the public, and Rev. John Tongue, Festival Ministry Chairman, believes that this public effort will have a lasting effect on Hobart. "Christianity and the Gospel are put on the agenda in the community...It's just opened so many doors of opportunity."
Evangelist Franklin Graham preached to the Australians a message about the cross in the run up to Easter. The message of salvation found in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ prevails on earth, and has now been going for over 2000 years and it will go on forever. Quoting the passage from John 19:1-5, Graham said that Jesus Christ went through all humiliation and torture on his way to the cross, and he asked us to realise that this was not for himself but for us. Jesus came on a rescue mission for all souls. Therefore, Graham invited people to make the step and accept the Christ.
More than 600 made a decision for Jesus Christ, with more than 400 praying to receive salvation for the very first time.
During an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) at Melbourne published yesterday, Franklin was asked if Australia is still the same country as his father Billy Graham visited, when he came to Melbourne in 1959 and spoke to up to half a million people. He clearly disagreed with it and cited that the current church attendance has dropped down to 50 percent.
Franklin further explained the huge evangelistic effort the team from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association have been carrying out in Melbourne for over one year. Before the festival was staged, the association were training counsellors throughout all the churches. Thousands of people have been trained.
Additionally, a program called Operation Andrew has been launched among churches to mobilise active evangelism. It works out as church members bring an unchurched person with them to the meeting. Franklin said that this isn't just a church rally, but its purpose is to invite people of all faiths or no faith, and unchurched people to come. Through music and an opportunity to hear that God loves them and cares for them, they are given a chance to respond to faith in God through Jesus Christ.
From Friday 18th March to Sunday 20th March, Festival Victoria 2005 with Franklin Graham is going to be another sweeping event in Melbourne. The goal of Festival Victoria 2005 is to strengthen the local churches by mobilising the Christian community to assemble as many people as possible to hear the message that Jesus Christ is "the way, the truth, and the life."
The festival at Telstra Dome, Docklands, Melbourne, features music, testimonies and the Gospel message delivered by Franklin Graham. Darlene Zschech, famous singer, songwriter and worship leader from the fastest growing Hillsong Church in Australia will perform at the festival as well.
Christians anticipate powerful results from Festival Victoria. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association said. "We haven't done anything like this in Melbourne on a large scale for at least 30 or 40 years, and I think the wider community is probably ready to stop and take notice," said the Right Reverend Stephen Hale, Anglican bishop for the Eastern Region, Diocese of Melbourne. "I am looking forward to the chance for churches in Melbourne to put evangelism into key focus."