FOLLOWING IN HIS FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS, FRANKLIN GRAHAM CONTINUES TO TAKE EVENTS AND GOSPEL MESSAGE AROUND THE WORLD

Graham Begins Busy 2006 Schedule in Philippines Sharing Message of Hope, Will Also Minister To Hurricane Victims In The South

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA (ANS) -- From Manila in The Philippines to Mobile, Alabama, Franklin Graham, son of the elder evangelist Dr. Billy Graham, this year continues to deliver the same message of hope as his father by holding eight "Festivals" in five countries.

When Billy Graham announced that his final Crusade would take place in New York City in the summer of 2005, it may have signaled an end to the well-known public events led by one man, but it was hardly a pause in the ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA).

"We aren't slowing down," said Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the BGEA. "In fact, 2006 will be one of our most active years of ministry."

A media release states that Graham begins 2006 in Manila, Philippines and concludes the year in Okinawa, Japan. In March, Graham will hold a Celebration of Hope for hurricane victims in New Orleans.

In addition to heading the BGEA, Graham also leads the international relief organization Samaritan's Purse, which has already raised more than $36 million in aid for the Gulf Coast.

Franklin Graham held his first evangelistic event in 1989 and initially committed to spend a percentage of his time preaching. Since then, he has conducted more than 100 Festivals around the world, speaking to more than 4 million people.

Last year, in addition to the Billy Graham Crusade in New York, Franklin Graham held seven evangelistic events in Africa, Australia, South America, Europe, and North America.

Franklin Graham's scheduled Festivals for 2006 include events in Manila, Philippines, Feb. 2-5; New Orleans, Louisiana, March 11-12; Angola, Louisana, April 1; Mobile, Alabama, April 21-23; Baltimore, Maryland, July 7-9; Quito, Ecuador Sept. 21-23; Winnipeg, Canada Oct. 20-22, and Okinawa, Japan Nov. 3-5.

Since 2000, the BGEA has relocated its headquarters from Minneapolis to Charlotte, North Carolina, restructured the international organization into a more efficient operation, created a global television project that has already reached millions of people, increased the number of events each year, used new designs and technology to recreate its U.S. television broadcasts and publications, and seen a record number of people find hope in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
CG