Nearly one-fourth of the 1,100-plus decisions for Christ were youth, ages 18 and under. Will you pray for all the new believers in Moldova, that they would find a local church and grow in their new faith?
Moldova Parliament President Igor Grosu talks with Will Graham before Sunday night’s event. Grosu addressed the audience, saying he’d been thinking about the name of the event, Celebration of Hope. “Everyone needs hope, something to believe in,” he said. He added that he’s thankful to Christians who have helped Ukrainian refugees in his country.
The Celebration of Hope with Will Graham brought the whole family out to hear about the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Counselors at the Celebration of Hope helped new believers begin their new life in Christ and gave them materials to help them deepen their faith in God.
It takes courage to come forward in front of everyone and respond to the Gospel, Will Graham said, but it’s the most important moment of your life.
The crowd inside Chișinău Arena listened closely to Will Graham’s message: “Trade in your hopelessness, trade in your pain,” he said, “hand over your sorrow, and allow God to come into your life and change it tonight.”
Andrei Jilihovschi, a popular soloist from Moldova, sang “I Want to Stay by the Cross.”
Jamaican pianist Huntley Brown played a key-pounding rendition of “Lord You Are Holy.”
Will Graham preached from Luke 15:11-24 about a young man who wanted to live life his own way. He left home, squandered his inheritance, and was left alone and miserable. Many people look for happiness in a certain person, place, or possession, Will Graham said. Those things might satisfy for a little while but eventually we’re left empty again without God.
Over 10,000 people came to Chișinău Arena for the final night of the Celebration of Hope in Moldova, again filling the venue, along with two overflow areas. Another 8,000 watched online, and 50 churches across the country showed the livestream.
More than 8,800 people came to the first night of the Celebration of Hope with Will Graham in Moldova's capital city of Chișinău, including the city's mayor, Ion Ceban. Thousands more sat in an overflow area, while many more watched the livestream.
This Gospel outreach was Will Graham’s first time preaching in Moldova—18 years after his dad, Franklin Graham preached there. “There is a God who exists,” he told thousands gathered in person and watching online. “Tonight, I want to introduce you to Him.”
This young man was one of more than 300 people who made a decision for Jesus Christ after a prompting from the Holy Spirit Saturday night. A Celebration volunteer prayed with him after going over the steps to peace with God.
An orchestra and 850-person choir led the audience in the packed arena in “Majesty.”
The Celebration was held in the capital city's Chișinău Arena. Chișinău is located in the center of Moldova, and is under two hours from the Ukraine border. Romania borders Moldova to the west.
About 700 churches have partnered together for the Celebration, training many of their members to share their faith with friends and neighbors.
The crowd clapped and joined in when Josh Havens of The Afters (right) sang the chorus of “How Great Is Our God” in Russian.
Sin separates us from God, Will Graham explained, but Jesus Christ came to save us—to take our sins upon Himself and restore the relationship with our Creator. “Jesus Christ loves you and He died on the cross for your sins. And this is the greatest news there ever is because God provided a way for you to be with Him,” he said.
This week, the capital city of Chișinău has been celebrating its 587th birthday with music festivals, art fairs, and markets with handmade goods. Saturday and Sunday, hundreds in the area celebrated a spiritual birthday when they decided to surrender their hearts to Christ.
