Franklin Graham Concludes Two Festivals in Australia

Thousands Gather in Hobart and Melbourne for the Largest Evangelistic Events in Decades

HOBART and MELBOURNE, Australia, March 28, 2005—Religion experts in Australia say less than four percent of the nation attends church services each Sunday. So when Franklin Graham Festivals in Hobart and Melbourne drew the largest crowds for an evangelistic event in decades, local Christian leaders were overjoyed.

Former Island Prison Finds Freedom
The small port town of Hobart was once only inhabited by English prisoners. Today it is a free society, but Franklin Graham challenged the Island of Tasmania to think about finding spiritual freedom.

“Long ago when English prisoners were condemned and sent here, they knew there was little chance they would see their loved ones again, so on their journey they made ‘love tokens’ with important messages. Many common themes on these tokens were forgiveness, a hope for freedom, and a desire to be remembered. If we are honest with ourselves, we all want these same things, and I’m here to tell you that God has given this to us through His son Jesus.”

Not since Billy Graham’s crusade in 1959, when more than 40 percent of the population attended church, has the local community responded to such an event. Of the 10,520 who gathered for the three-day Festival Tasmania with Franklin Graham (held March 11-13 at the Derwent Entertainment Centre), more than 600 responded to Graham’s invitation to find hope and forgiveness in Jesus. “When the size of the Christian community grows by more than ten percent in one weekend, I would certainly say the Festival has exceeded our expectations and is likely something we won’t see again in this generation,” said Festival Tasmania chairman Kevin Towns.

Proclaiming God’s Love in the Cultural Capital
In the similarly unchurched and cosmopolitan city of Melbourne, 92,464 people attended Festival Victoria with Franklin Graham, March 18-20 at the new Telstra Dome, with 6,520 making decisions for Christ. The three-day celebration was the largest religious event held in the city since Billy Graham came in 1969.

“I wouldn’t say that people here are anti-God, they just view the Christian Church as irrelevant,” said Paul Molyneux, local Festival organizer. “That’s why this Festival was truly historic, but more importantly, an event that has impacted individual lives and the community for eternity.”

In addition to Graham’s nightly message, the Festivals also included: 

• Energetic and inspirational music by award-winning artists Jars of Clay, Rebecca St. James, Nicole C. Mullen, The Katinas, and Australian favorites Guy Sebastian, Darlene Zchech, Marina Prior, and Planet Shakers. Long-time guest artists of the Graham Festivals, Dennis Agajanian and the Tommy Coomes Band also performed each night. 

• “Kidz Fest” for 12,100 children in Melbourne, which featured music and drama at the Saturday morning event where 1,705 children responded to the Christian message.

• Business breakfast in Melbourne for more than 1,200 civic and commerce leaders.

• Personal life story by Australia’s Governor General, Michael Jeffery, who shared how he found God while serving in Vietnam.  “The incredible thing is, He is there for all of us if we just ask,” he said. 

• Many Australians personally thanked Graham and Samaritan’s Purse for providing more than $30 million in relief work and supplies to tsunami victims.

Festival Tasmania and Festival Victoria are the results of more than a year of planning, involving a total of more than 900 churches and 25 denominations in partnership with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

The Australian Festivals were Graham’s first in 2005. Upcoming events include Asuncion, Paraguay (May 12-14); Lubango, Angola (June 10-12); Chisinau, Moldova (July 8-10); Corpus Christi, Texas (Aug.  19-21); and Shreveport, La. (Nov. 11-13). 

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