“It’s great to be here today and to see this area—first time I’ve ever been to the Midlands,” Franklin Graham shared as he welcomed over 8,000 guests to the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England. His father, Billy Graham, had preached a message of hope 40 years ago in Villa Park, a soccer stadium nearby. “He loved the people of this nation,” Graham said.
Franklin Graham had planned to share the Gospel across several U.K. cities, including Birmingham, in 2020. Those events were postponed due to a legal battle involving religious freedom, after seven venues cancelled their legally binding contracts with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Most of those cases have been resolved favorably, and on Saturday, churches witnessed God’s perfect timing as they watched their friends and neighbors come to know Jesus Christ.
To kick off the evening, guests clapped to the beat and sang along with Dennis Agajanian’s fast-picking, Gospel-centered songs.