Evangelist Will Graham launched a “Sunshine State Good News Tour” in Florida shortly after a successful evangelistic outreach in the European country of Estonia.
Graham embarked on a four-city tour for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), with support from 475 local churches. The tour traversed 500 miles from Oct. 26 through Nov. 1, stopping in Tallahassee, Gainesville, Sarasota and Pompano Beach.
On Sunday night (Oct. 26), some 2,800 people gathered in the at the Tallahassee Automobile Museum Field in Tallahassee for the first stop of the tour.
“You are handmade. You are created in the image of God. You are created to have a personal relationship with God,” Graham said to the crowd. “But there are some of you here today that feel far from God. You feel like God is distant … Tonight that can change. You can ask the living God—the God who made you—to come into your life and forgive you of your sins.”
“God used those words to touch hearts, and when the evangelist extended an invitation to receive Jesus, many responded and made decisions for Him. We praise God for the way He moved in this capital city!” stated the BGEA, in a LinkedIn post.
Worship led by award-winning artists Jeremy Camp and Christine D'Clario was followed by the message by Graham about how much God loves them.
“I’m excited our churches are partnering with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in reaching Tallahassee with the Gospel of Jesus Christ—to see the darkness pushed back by the Light of Christ, and to see a mighty movement of God,” said Rev. Mike Corb of Thomasville Road Baptist Church, one of the local churches supporting the event.
“We have already seen a unity among our pastors and churches and a hunger for reaching the lost, and we are praying expectantly for God to do a mighty work. He is our only hope!”
More than 1,300 individuals across Florida have already completed BGEA’s Christian Life and Witness Course in preparation for the events, strengthening their faith and being equipped to share the Gospel and serve as prayer counselors during each event, according to BGEA.
Meanwhile, Graham’s recent outreach in Tallinn, Estonia witnessed thousands attending a “Time of Hope Festival” to hear the life-changing message about Jesus Christ. 575 people responded to the gospel on Saturday (Oct. 25) and came forward for prayer.
People were bused to the venue from across the country, with ferries shuttling some buses from islands in the Baltic Sea.
American worship singer Aaron Shust began to sing the familiar lyrics and a chorus of 5,000 Estonians joined in their own language.
“Happiness is not found in a location. Happiness does not come from money,” Will Graham told the crowd of Estonians. “I’m here to tell you that when you have God in your life, you’ll be satisfied. Tonight, I’m asking you to let God come into your life, to change your life, and to give you hope and peace. God wants to change your life tonight.”
Many Estonians responded to the call to receive Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.
“Please join us in praying for the people of Estonia—that in the days ahead, many more will come to know the saving power of Jesus Christ and the lasting hope only He can give,” the BGEA added.
Will Graham’s father Franklin Graham preached the gospel in Estonia in 2009. The late Billy Graham, his grandfather, preached there during the Cold War in 1984. The country is one of the few countries where all three generations of the Grahams have preached the gospel.
During his visit to Estonia, Will Graham visited St. Olaf’s Church for a poignant and personal moment of reflection. The historic chapel where his grandfather Billy proclaimed the same message about Jesus that his grandson would preach later in the week.
