DATE:
March 21-22, 2026
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LOCATION:
Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center
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TIME:
7 p.m. – Saturday, March 21
6 p.m. – Sunday, March 22
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WEB:
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SEATING/ADMISSION:
Admission is free. Tickets are not required. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
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LOCAL PARTICIPATION:
More than 145 churches from across the region are involved with the Gulf Coast Celebration of Hope.
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MUSIC:
Along with messages from Will Graham, the weekend outreach will feature free concerts by well-known Christian artists, including DOE, Terrian and Charity Gayle.
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PRESS OPERATION:
Event credentialing will take place in the media area near the stage. There will be reserved seating for working press. For Gulf Coast Celebration of Hope updates and information, or to request interviews with Will Graham or other event leadership, contact Erik Ogren at (704) 577-2109 or eogren@bgea.org.
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REV. WILL GRAHAM:
William Franklin Graham IV (Will) is the third generation of Grahams to proclaim the Gospel under the banner of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The grandson of Billy Graham and the oldest son of Franklin Graham, Will has shared the hope of Jesus with more than 1.2 million people across six continents since beginning his evangelistic ministry in 2006.
“I’m not trying to be the next Billy Graham; I’m just Will Graham,” says the ordained minister. “I have a burden in my heart to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If that’s to an arena full of people or one person on the street, I will do whatever God is calling me to do.”
In addition to his evangelistic outreaches, Will serves as Executive Vice President of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, giving leadership to all aspects of the organization that his grandfather founded in 1950.
Will graduated from Liberty University in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Religion and in 2001 graduated from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree.
Will and his wife, Kendra, have two daughters, Christine Jane (CJ) and Rachel Austin, and a son, William Franklin Graham V (Quinn).
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BGEA / Graham History in Mississippi:
- Billy Graham held two Crusades in Mississippi, both of which were in the capital city of Jackson (1952 and 1975). According to archival records, Billy Graham also spoke at a Youth For Christ rally in Hattiesburg in 1947.
- Franklin Graham has held one outreach in Mississippi, which took place in Tupelo in 1997. Franklin Graham returned to the state in April 2016 for the Decision America Tour stop in Jackson.
- The Gulf Coast Celebration of Hope will be Will Graham’s second outreach in Mississippi, following 2014’s Central Mississippi Celebration in Clinton.
- BGEA Associate Evangelists held a dozen outreaches across the state, many in the 1960s and 1970s. Communities hosting those events included McComb, Lexington, Columbia, Cleveland, and Vicksburg. Of particular note, Associate Evangelist Grady Wilson—also a high school friend of Billy Graham’s—held two outreaches in Biloxi (1969 and 1973), where Will Graham will preach in March.
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ABOUT THE BILLY GRAHAM EVANGELISTIC ASSOCIATION:
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world by every effective means available. From its headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, the BGEA directs a wide range of domestic and international ministries, including: large-scale festivals led by evangelists Franklin Graham and Will Graham; the Billy Graham Library; The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove, located outside of Asheville, North Carolina; SearchforJesus.net, an Internet evangelism project reaching thousands of people for Christ online; and many others through print, television, telephone, radio and the internet. For more information, please visit billygraham.org.
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