New Orleans to Host Franklin Graham Evangelistic Festival

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association announced that Franklin Graham will hold a New Orleans evangelistic festival this spring in conjunction with local church and civic leaders.

The “Celebration of Hope” will bring spiritual renewal to a city that has been bombed by natural and man-made disaster. From Mar. 11-12, 2006, the New Orleans arena will be filled with God’s Word.

"After the worst natural disaster in the history of this nation, never has this area been more open to spiritual renewal,” said Bishop J. Douglas Wiley, pastor of Life Center Cathedral.

“The Celebration of Hope brings to New Orleans, Louisiana, and the entire Gulf Coast region the gospel of Christ Jesus, a new and dynamic unity among Christians, and the message of hope and life to all," he added.

Wiley and Dr. David Crosby, pastor of First Baptist Church New Orleans, are serving as co-chairs of the event and will oversee the months-long events preparation, along with 100 other clergy and church leaders from the New Orleans area.

After Hurricane Katrina, area church leaders and local clergy invited Graham to hold the festival of hope in New Orleans to bring hope to the people who may be desperate.

“Each time I’ve been to the Gulf Cost since Hurricane Katrina I’ve been touched by the people I’ve met who have lost so much, but you can still see a glimmer of hope in their eyes,” said Graham. “When leaders in the community asked me to join them in bring this event to New Orleans, I wanted to come to encourage those that are reaching out to their neighbor, but also tell those in desperation that there is hope.”

Graham’s international relief organization Samaritan’s Purse has given more than $30 million in aid to Katrina victims, including donating 200 mobile homes to churches in the New Orleans area to shelter hurricane victims for the next year. Their continued effort in the Gulf Coast is one of three major Christian organizations. The other two are The Salvation Army and the Southern Baptists Convention.

Graham’s most recent event was in Shreveport, La., on Nov. 11-13. His 2006 events include Manila, Philippines from Feb. 2-5; Mobile, Ala., from Apr. 21-23; Baltimore, Md., from July 7-9, 2006; and Winnipeg, Manitoba from Oct. 20-22. The Celebration of Hope will be open to the public and free of charge.