Topping the list of most Bible literate places in America, there seems to be no shortage of theologians in Birmingham, Alabama.
Yet, as the city prepares for the Greater Birmingham Festival of Hope with Franklin Graham, many local churchgoers will admit there’s something missing in their neighborhoods—there’s still a need for God.
Festival Director Robert Tatum calls it “cultural Christianity” where knowledge of God is passed on, but not necessarily a personal relationship with Christ.
“We have a great story to tell and [want to] encourage one another to share that relationship [with Christ] with those who are not in relationship,” he said. “Then, let’s encourage those who are away from church and away from fellowship to join back together so that we can be one unified Christian family.”
Given the city’s history, unity is a big word in Birmingham.
Infamously known for the racist bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church that killed four young, African-American girls in 1963, an often unspoken divide still exists.
“You add that to the current racial tension we have in our country, political tension we have in our country, throw it against the backdrop of Birmingham [and] there’s a lot of skepticism,” Tatum explained.
But Birmingham is a special place, earning the nickname “The Magic City” and “The Pittsburgh of the South” because of its quick growth and success in the steel industry.
And so believers in the city are optimistic about Birmingham’s future. Just as the city previously rose to economic power, the potential for revival and the spread of a united spiritual awakening is great.
“People are saying, ‘Let’s tear walls down. Let’s stop being so divided. Let’s figure out ways to be united,'” Tatum said.
And what better place to start than the Gospel?
Franklin Graham is set to bring a message of hope to this historic city August 14-16. The free Billy Graham Evangelistic Association event will include performances by Michael W. Smith, Kirk Franklin, Kari Jobe, Newsboys and others. Those who can’t make it to the venue will also be able watch live at BillyGraham.org/live.
A Message for All
In the same spirit that Billy Graham first preached in the city more than 50 years ago, Franklin Graham is expected to point attendees to the cross that saves and delivers, no matter what.
“The Gospel is for all men, it’s not for one race or one group or one tribe, it’s for all men,” Franklin Graham told a Birmingham news station.
Billy Graham first preached in the city in 1964 on Easter Sunday at Legion Field, only five months after the church bombing.
“The world has become a neighborhood without becoming a brotherhood. [Yet], it is within this kind of situation that Christ can come,” Billy Graham said on the day of the Crusade.
With only two weeks left until the Greater Birmingham Festival, Tatum hopes attendees will grab hold of the connection between Christ and reconciliation of today’s problems.
“The core of the Bible is love and love is binding—it has a stickiness to it. It pulls us together,” he said.
The event will take place at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Bartow Arena. About 250 churches are participating, with some 1,200 volunteers between them.
The Festival has been about two years in the making, starting with a prayer by Mike McLemore, a local Baptist leader who was compelled to seek God for answers on how to unite Birmingham.
“He felt that once our spiritual lives are unified, then the other things that divide us will be more likely to be torn down,” Tatum said.
McLemore led the “steering team” responsible for praying for and organizing the initial stages of a Festival with BGEA. Rooted in prayer and with a solid committee in place, organizers are confident God will move at the three-day event.
Tatum asks that people will specifically pray for remaining efforts encouraging believers to reach out and “Bring a Friend” to the Festival.
“Also, pray for Franklin. That the message he brings ties into where the city is and where the city is going in terms of unifying and turning people to Jesus Christ,” Tatum said.
“We are presenting Jesus Christ as Savior of the world,” he added. “This is a work of God, a work of the Holy Spirit.”
