‘We’ve had nothing like this’ – over 30,000 attend historic Franklin Graham evangelical gathering in Belarus

Thousands of Christians packed a significant sports arena in Minsk over the weekend for what organisers described as the biggest evangelical outreach event ever held in Belarus, with attendance records broken on each nights of the gathering. 

The two-day “Festival of Hope”, organised by Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), drew almost 31,000 people to Chizhovka Arena within the Belarusian capital.

Church leaders within the country said the dimensions of the event was unprecedented for Belarus’s evangelical community, which represents lower than 2% of the population.

The wife of a pastor in Minsk, Alyona Lazuta, said: “It really is a miracle. We’ve prayed for something like this for a few years.”

The outreach was organised in partnership with almost 700 evangelical churches from across Belarus, marking what church leaders said was the primary nationally coordinated evangelical event of its kind within the country.

Leonid Mikhovich, general secretary of the Belarus Baptist Union and one in all the event coordinators, said evangelical churches in Belarus had historically faced severe limitations on the dimensions and visibility of public gatherings.

He explained: “We used to perhaps be allowed to have 1,000 people come for something. But to have greater than 10,000? No, we have had nothing like this. The status of this arena can be vital. It’s one in all the biggest hockey arenas within the country. We could never ever dream to even rent such a constructing.”

Over 15,200 people attended the opening night on Saturday, with organisers reporting that each the principal arena and overflow areas reached capability. Crowds even reportedly gathered outside to hearken to the preaching and worship because the venue was full.

The attendance rose again to around 15,500 on the second evening, prompting officials to make one other level of the sector available and add extra seating.

Preaching in the course of the event, Graham urged people to put their faith in Jesus Christ.

“Jesus didn’t come to sentence you, He got here to save lots of you,” he told the group. “He [God] made you and He loves you, however the only approach to be forgiven of your sins and have a private relationship with Him is thru His Son, Jesus Christ.”

Christians across Belarus prepared for the outreach through prayer, fasting and personally inviting others to listen to the Gospel. 

A 1,300-member choir made up of believers from 43 cities and villages also took part within the event.

According to the BGEA, over 2,000 Bibles were distributed to individuals who accepted the Gospel message over the weekend.

Among them was a person who reportedly told volunteers he had attempted to take his own life earlier within the week before attending the festival and deciding to turn out to be a Christian.

A deaf student named Aleksandr said he experienced a way of freedom after hearing the message.

“I used to be so uninterested in my sinful life,” he said. “Now … I feel in my soul it’s easier for me, there is no weight. Something that was holding me let go.”

The festival also carried political significance in a rustic where public religious activity is closely monitored.

Ahead of the gathering, Graham met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov on the Palace of Independence in Minsk, where he thanked the authorities for allowing the event to proceed.

“We have come to deliver our message to all Belarusians, and this message is from the Lord God,” Graham said following the meeting. “I pray that our presence here would help, not only for today, but for future generations.”

Belarusian state media aired an interview with Graham discussing faith, spiritual diplomacy and the war in Ukraine. 

Speaking with anchor and deputy director general of First Informational TV, Viktoryia Senkevich, Graham said Christians should “bring people together” and act as “ambassadors for God.” 

Asked whether US President Donald Trump and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko could help stop the conflict in Ukraine, Graham said he believed each leaders wanted peace and urged people to wish for a resolution.

He added: “I would love to see them come together and meet.”

Reflecting on the weekend, Mikhovich said the event had strengthened relationships between evangelical churches and government authorities at what he described as a very important moment for Christians in Belarus.

He said: “The evangelical church here has had different periods of history. This is a superb time. We do not know what is going to occur tomorrow, but we’ll hold onto this, and I hope we may have some opportunities in the long run.”