The two-day Greater Pangasinan Celebration started Saturday and kicked off Will Graham’s two-week evangelistic tour in the Philippines.
The Pangasinan region is about 5 hours outside the Philippines' capital city of Manila, where Will Graham will preach next weekend (Feb. 15-17).
Governor Amado Espino III welcomed Will Graham to the region and said he believes the Gospel message will lead to “more love, more hope, more happiness and of course, stronger families.”
“The Filipino people are some of the happiest and most hospitable people in the world, and I’m thankful to be here.” Will Graham said ahead of the Celebration.
Pangasinan is the third largest province among the Philippine islands, and more than 2.6 million people call the region home. More than 17,000 people gathered in the Pangasinan city of Lingayen for the first evening of Will Graham’s evangelistic tour.
The excitement in the Philippines for Will Graham’s visit led the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to hold two events in two cities: the Greater Pangasinan Celebration (Feb. 9-10) and the Metro Manila Celebration (Feb. 15-17).
The first night featured worshipful music and a powerful salvation message.
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." —1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Jesus is a real person. He died for your sins on the cross. Tonight I’m going to give you the opportunity to surrender your life to Him,” Will Graham said on Saturday.
Those gathered for the evangelistic event listened intently to the Gospel message.
Two young men listen to Will preach about redemption through the power of the cross. Of the wide variety of ages in attendance, youth made the most decisions for Christ—with more than 3,400 coming forward during the two-day event.
“God paid the price through His Son’s death so He can give us salvation as a free gift. Are you willing to accept it tonight?” Will Graham said, inviting the Filipino people into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit used the message of hope, love and forgiveness to lead many Filipinos to make a decision for Christ.
Looking at the crowd of 17,800 on Sunday night, Will Graham said,
“Jesus Christ is what you’re looking for in life! He came to die on the cross for our sins and to save you and me!”
Local prayer volunteers talked and prayed with their new brothers and sisters in Christ. "But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." —John 1:12
More than 35,000 people attended the two-day Greater Pangasinan Celebration, and nearly 7,000 indicated they made decisions for Christ. Following the event, Will Graham shared on his Facebook page about how this is one of the greatest responses to the Gospel he's witnessed after preaching. Praise God for how He's moving in the Philippines.
Join us in praying for the Filipino people as Will Graham continues to share the Good News of Jesus Christ in the Philippines.
