Graham Concludes '08 Crusade in Taiwan
American evangelist Franklin Graham concluded his 2008 world crusade this past weekend in Taipei, Taiwan where nearly 10,000 people committed their lives to Jesus Christ during the event.
The four-day festival from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2 drew more than 150,000 people to the outdoor plaza of Taipei's famous Liberty Square - formerly known as Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall – making it the largest religious gathering in the history of the venue.
Graham preached a simple but fundamental message about salvation only through Jesus Christ, which is proclaimed at all the Franklin Graham festivals.
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"There is no other name under heaven by which you can be saved. It's only through Christ," Graham said, according to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, to citizens of a country that is 90 percent Buddhist and Taoist. "Jesus said 'I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life. No man comes to the Father but by me.'"
In addition to the 150,000 adults that attended the Taipei festival, another 33,000 kids attended a special children's event on Sunday.
Local musical artists opened for Graham each night, including Heavenly Melody, JJ Lam, and popular mando-pop singer-songwriter David Tao.
During his visit to Taiwan, Graham also met with Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou on Oct. 30 in the Presidential Office.
President Ma called Graham "one of the world's best-known preachers" and said he was delighted to meet the evangelist. He also praised the past evangelistic event led by Franklin's father, renowned evangelist Billy Graham, for its positive effects on Taiwan 33 years ago and expressed that Franklin's event would also bring the same comfort to the people in the country.
Graham also met with many of the country's leading pastors and city leaders.
In total, some 650 local churches participated in the Festival.
The event in Taipei was the sixth Franklin Graham Festival this year. Prior festivals were held in Belfast, Northern Ireland; Knoxville, Tenn.; Villahermosa, Mexico; Timisoara, Romania; and Charleston, S.C.
For 2008, more than 487,000 people in total attended the Franklin Graham Festival events.
