Billy Graham Evangelistic Association will help Christians facing similar challenges in the UK after receiving nearly $650,000 through the resolution of its legal cases
GLASGOW, Scotland, June 22, 2024 – Franklin Graham preached in Glasgow tonight where a crowd of 7,560 people filled the OVO Hydro for the God Loves You Tour UK.
“Maybe you’re here tonight and you’re wanting to know, who is Jesus?” Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and Samaritan’s Purse, told the crowd in Glasgow. “Jesus Christ is God’s Son and He came on a rescue mission to save you from your sins. The Bible tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.”
More than 320 churches throughout the region partnered with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and over 115 buses brought people from communities throughout Glasgow and beyond.
“Our church is in a very deprived area. We see depression, mental health problems, financial issues, we see it all. And it’s not just our church, it’s people all over Scotland. Nothing is going to help Scotland apart from Jesus,” said Alex Gillies, pastor of Victory Christian Centre in Glasgow, and his wife Charlotte after they watched hundreds of people come forward tonight to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ. “What we saw gives pastors and churches like ours hope because in the middle of all this chaos, people are seeking. This gives us a lot of hope.”
This was the second stop of this year’s God Loves You Tour UK. Graham also preached to 8,300 people at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham last Saturday on 15 June. All were welcome at these free events with live music by Michael W. Smith, Taya, Dennis Agajanian and the Tommy Coomes Band.
Franklin Graham was originally scheduled to preach in the UK in 2020, but the events were canceled by the venues when the tour faced opposition. BGEA brought legal challenges to those cancelations based on religious discrimination, with the goal of preserving the opportunity for all Christians to preach the Gospel in the public square. As of this week, all of the legal disputes with the originally-scheduled tour venues have been resolved in ways BGEA considers favorable.
Franklin Graham said, “This is a victory, not just for us, but for all Christians and churches across the UK.”
The North Carolina-based organization, which also has an office in Coventry, England, has been able to hold rescheduled events in many of those venues. And while money was never a motivating factor, BGEA has also received nearly $650,000 from all of its legal cases in the UK since challenging the unlawful removal of its bus ads for another evangelistic event in 2018.
“We took a stand for the Gospel and for freedom of religion in the UK. Now we’re going to use these funds that came from this battle against cancel culture to help other Christians who may be threatened into silence,” Franklin Graham said when he announced the creation of the Billy Graham Defense Fund earlier in the day. “There are so many problems in our society and people are looking for hope. We know that true hope can only be found in Jesus Christ, so we need to support one another in getting the Good News of Jesus Christ out, whatever it takes. It is my prayer that this will encourage Christians across the UK to keep living out and sharing their faith freely and boldly.”
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is coming back to the UK next year, where Franklin Graham will preach in London.
Media Opportunities
To download b-roll and photos from the tour stops in Glasgow and Birmingham, visit https://media.billygraham.org/god-loves-you-tour-uk.
Media Contact
For media inquiries, please contact Mark Barber at mebarber@bgea.org, 828-386-5803.
About The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Founded by Billy Graham in 1950, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) shares the Good News of Jesus Christ around the world. Billy Graham had a profound love and appreciation for the United Kingdom, and he established BGEA’s UK office in 1954. Billy Graham went on to preach in the UK more than any other place outside of the United States.
About Franklin Graham
Franklin Graham is continuing the lifelong work of his father. Since his first evangelistic event with BGEA in 1989, he has held more than 325 outreaches in over 55 countries, including 10 events in the United Kingdom since 1999. Last year, Franklin Graham shared the hope of the Gospel with over 10,000 people at ExCeL London, and he has also preached in Glasgow, Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield, and Newport over the past three years.
In addition to serving as president and CEO of BGEA, Franklin Graham also leads Samaritan’s Purse, which works in more than 100 countries, including Ukraine where the international Christian relief and development organization has helped more than 14.5 million people by providing 250 million pounds of food and 910 metric tons of emergency relief supplies on 43 airlifts. Samaritan’s Purse also operated five field hospitals and five medical clinics in the war-torn country, treating tens of thousands of patients. -30-