Franklin Graham Brings Soul Festival to Virginia

By Lillian Kwon, Christian Post Reporter Friday, May 18, 2007

Evangelist Franklin Graham will beam the message of salvation on radio air from Norfolk, Va., Friday night as he kicks off one of his renowned evangelistic festivals.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to fill the Norfolk Scope Arena during Graham's three-day Greater Hampton Roads 2007 event, with organizers hoping to max out the nearly 13,000-seat venue.

"We're hoping for a big crowd and we're doing everything we can to plan for the max," festival director Sherman Barnette told the local Daily Press.

Ongoing celebrations marking the quadcentennial of America's first permanent English settlement have drawn tens of thousands of visitors to the local area for Jamestown 2007 events. Amid the festivals and large crowd attractions, Christian music and a spiritual message will hit the town this weekend with hopes of bringing thousands to Jesus Christ.

"There are art festivals, music festivals, and beer festivals – why not have a festival for the soul?" said Graham in a statement, according to the local newspaper.

More than 500 churches representing 67 denominations are involved in preparations and support for the festival and more than 10,000 people have volunteered in the months leading up to the anticipated event in the Southern seaport.

The festival comes weeks before Graham and his family are scheduled to dedicate the new Billy Graham Library – an ongoing evangelistic ministry recalling the lifetime work of Billy Graham who has reached more than 210 million people with the Gospel.

High-profile figures, including former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, will join some 1,500 invited guests at the dedication ceremony on May 31 in Charlotte, N.C., before the library opens to the public on June 5.

The library, which resembles the barn that Billy Graham grew up in, features exhibits, photo galleries and theaters that offer a look at Graham's historic evangelistic events, meetings with world leaders and his personal life.

As the Billy Graham Library serves to continue the legacy of the now retired evangelist, son Franklin Graham continues to preach the simple message of sin and salvation around the world.

The Greater Hampton Roads Franklin Graham Festival will be broadcast live on WMIT 106.9 FM "The Light" on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon.