Franklin Graham told more than 1,000 Christian leaders from 55 European countries and territories tonight that he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin earlier today.
“Today I had the privilege to meet with President Zelenskyy and have prayer with him. I prayed for President Putin, I prayed for him [Zelenskyy], and I prayed for President Trump—that God would give them wisdom and that God would give them a path forward for peace. The complications in Ukraine and Russia, these are very difficult, and I believe only God can solve this. And I believe the most important thing we can do for the next few minutes is to pray.”
Graham then asked the pastors and ministry leaders who had gathered in Berlin for the evangelism Congress to stand to their feet and pray for peace and an end to the war. Graham also shared that he had previously written to the leaders of both countries to call for peace.
The second day of the European Congress on Evangelism featured 12 speakers and contributors from eight countries, including a longtime friend of Dr. Billy Graham’s—Rev. Ulrich Parzany. After Mr. Graham preached in Essen, Germany, in 1993, Rev. Parzany succeeded him as the leader of the evangelistic outreach organization ProChrist.
Rev. Parzany told the crowd that biblical evangelism is disappearing from many churches as they question the authority of Scripture. He urged pastors and ministry leaders not to dilute the power and truth of the Gospel by only preaching what people want to hear.
“The Bible must be the foundation of our preaching, not the decoration,” Rev. Parzany said.
Download photos and videos: Media.BillyGraham.org/European-Congress-on-Evangelism.
ADDITIONAL QUOTES
- Ulrich Parzany, evangelical German pastor, theologian, and evangelist: “The precondition of evangelism must always be the commitment to the authority and the reliability of the Bible.” He continued, “The content of the Gospel is Jesus Christ, but Jesus Christ whom the Bible testifies to—there is no other Jesus Christ.”
- Rashin Soodmand, Iranian woman whose father was martyred in Iran for his faith in Jesus Christ: “Today thousands of our fellow believers are languishing in prisons and labor camps. Many of them will lose their lives for the sake of the Gospel while we are free to gather here in Berlin. Tonight we want to remember those who are suffering for the Name of Christ.”
- Daniele Pasquale, principal of Instituto Biblico Evangelico Italiano: “If we want to proclaim the Gospel, we need to live the Gospel because we embody the message.”
- Robert Cunville, evangelist in India: “Never forget the blood of Jesus Christ. No matter what sermon you preach, close with the blood.”
- Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing, British author, speaker, and theologian: “I’ve been in ministry for over 25 years and I haven’t known a moment like the moment we are in, in terms of the hunger that we see among Gen Z for truth.” She continued saying, “We need to meet that hunger with the Gospel.”
- Rev. Joakim Lundqvist, former senior pastor of Word of Life Church in Uppsala, Sweden: “Let’s offer the world a Gospel that can both be heard and seen.” He continued, “A holy lifestyle is mandatory for preaching the Gospel.”
- Rev. Gunnar Mägi, president of Tyndale Theological Seminary Europe: “The answer that we have is bondage breaking. It will bring generational change to individuals, families, nations, and the world.”
Additional soundbites, quotes, video, and photos are available for download in the Press Kit: Media.BillyGraham.org/European-Congress-on-Evangelism.
ABOUT THE BILLY GRAHAM EVANGELISTIC ASSOCIATION
Founded by Billy Graham in 1950, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association shares the Good News of Jesus Christ around the world. Franklin Graham is continuing the lifelong work of his father, holding more than 325 outreaches in 55 countries. Most recently, Franklin Graham preached in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where nearly 440,000 people gathered in the country’s largest square to hear a message of God’s love. Last year, Mr. Graham preached in Krakow, Poland; Birmingham, England; Glasgow, Scotland; and Naples, Italy, in Europe, as well as in the countries of Laos, Vietnam; Mexico; and in 10 cities in the U.S. This year, he is looking forward to proclaiming the hope of Jesus Christ in London, Brussels, and Buenos Aires. Will Graham, son of Franklin Graham and grandson of Billy Graham, is the third generation of Grahams to proclaim the Gospel under the banner of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He has preached to more than 1.2 million people on six continents since 2006.
ABOUT FRANKLIN GRAHAM
In addition to leading the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Franklin Graham also serves as the president of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian disaster relief and evangelism organization that works in more than 100 countries, including Ukraine where the ministry has helped more than 10 million people since the war began. Samaritan’s Purse operated 5 field hospitals and 5 medical clinics, providing medical care for tens of thousands of Ukrainian patients. The organization has also supported nearly 300 hospitals with supplies and training, distributed over 120,000 metric tons of food, and provided 910 metric tons of relief supplies on 43 airlifts.
HISTORY OF BGEA’S EVANGELISM CONGRESSES
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s first World Congress on Evangelism was held in Berlin in 1966, which led to the monumental gathering in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1974. Strategic evangelism congresses followed in Amsterdam in 1983, 1986 and 2000. Next month’s European Congress on Evangelism in Berlin will take place 25 years after the historic congress in Amsterdam in 2000, which helped prepare thousands of pastors and ministry leaders for evangelism around the world.