Battered Gulf Coast Ready for More Graham
In the making even before the Gulf Coast was battered by hurricane Katrina, an evangelistic festival with Franklin Graham will storm the ravaged states this weekend to provide another wave of hope.
In the making even before the Gulf Coast was battered by hurricane Katrina, an evangelistic festival with Franklin Graham will storm the ravaged states this weekend to provide another wave of hope.
A month after Graham and his father hit New Orleans with a message of hope at the Franklin and Billy Graham Celebration of Hope, the Gulf Coast Festival is ready to again provide a sense of relief and hope one person at a time.
"When we first arrived and saw the overwhelming destruction, many people asked where you even begin to respond?" said Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse. "It starts with helping just one person, one family at a time, and doing what we can to give people relief and a sense of hope."
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More than 300 churches in the local areas have partnered with the evangelistic association to present the festival at the Mobile Civic Center. Just as the 215 church pastors in and around New Orleans anticipated a time of hope and revival for the tens of thousands affected by the storm destruction, church leaders in Mobile hope the weekend event will bring encouragement to the people.
The festival kicks off Friday with musical guests Andréa Crouch, CeCe Winans, and Alicia Williamson Garcia. Other artists to be featured include FFH, Joy Williams, and the Gaither Vocal Band.
More than 20,000 people attended the earlier festival in New Orleans that was organized at the request of the local pastors. It was the Rev. Billy Graham's first look at the damaged community and his last public evangelistic sermon.
For Franklin, the ravaged sites were not a new sight as he had made numerous visits to distribute the $38 million raised for relief efforts by Samaritan's Purse. The international relief organization has helped repair homes for more than 7,700 families in five states.
