Franklin Graham Festival Draws Three Straight Days of Overflow Crowds in Binghamton

BINGHAMTON, N.Y., June 11, 2007—The prayers of local pastors and a waitress's heartfelt request nearly a decade ago asking Franklin Graham to one day help share the Gospel with her community of Binghamton, N.Y. came to fruition in a big way over the weekend with the NYPENN Franklin Graham Festival. Every day of the Festival June 8-10 drew overflow audiences of all ages to the Events Center at Binghamton University - where Graham encouraged the crowds to make a life-changing choice.

"Is there emptiness in your life, a big black empty hole and you feel like nothing can fill it?" asked Graham.  "I want you to know that Jesus Christ can take that vacuum in your life created by the guilt and shame of sin and He can give you a new life and a new beginning. But you have to make the decision to put your faith in Christ."

The Festival had a total attendance of 27,613, utilizing Binghamton University's West Gym and the nearby Broome County Veteran's Memorial Arena as overflow sites. During the three-day event, 1,462 people responded to Graham’s invitation to make a commitment to Jesus Christ.  Included in those crowds were 5,308 children and their parents who came to the Saturday morning KidzFest program, where 463 children responded to the invitation to commit their lives to Christ.

Among those in the audience was Karen Lupka, a waitress who recognized Graham at a local restaurant where he stopped for dinner some seven years ago after watching one of his sons compete in a collegiate wrestling tournament held at Binghamton University. "I told him that there’s a group of us praying to bring you someday to Binghamton," said Lupka.

Years later, Graham remembered Lupka's impromptu request when dozens of Binghamton-area pastors invited the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to hold a Festival in Binghamton. Franklin Graham serves as President and CEO of the BGEA as well as the international Christian relief organization Samaritan's Purse, which sent disaster relief crews to Binghamton last summer to help hundreds of families get back into their homes after devastating floods.

"A year ago at this time we prayed to stop a flood, but as the floodwaters started to recede God began sending a different kind of flood," Binghamton resident and Festival committee chairman John O’Neil told Sunday’s audience.  "God sent a flood of hope and understanding that would bring the unity of over 400 churches, a flood that would collect over eight tons of food, and as of this weekend a flood that’s brought thousands of people into the Kingdom of God."

In addition to messages by Graham, the Festival also featured energetic and diverse music by award-winning artists including Third Day, Tree 63, Point of Grace, SONICFLOOd, Building 429, Tommy Coomes Band, and a 600-voice choir made up of volunteers from churches across the Southern Tier region.

Franklin Graham's remaining Festivals this year will be in Kiev, Ukraine (July 6-8); Guayaquil, Ecuador (Aug. 23-25); Busan, Korea (Oct. 18-21); Tacoma, Wash. (Nov. 2-4); and Hong Kong, China (Nov. 29 – Dec 2). Graham is president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the international relief organization Samaritan's Purse. 

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