European Congress on Evangelism Meets in Berlin: More Than 1,000 Evangelists From 55 Countries, Graham Says "I Do Not Work for Trump"
The European Congress on Evangelism, organized by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) to promote public preaching of the gospel in a highly secularized Europe, has been held in Berlin, Germany, with more than 1,000 evangelists and church leaders from 55 European countries and territories taking part, according to Evangelical Focus. It is the first congress of its kind organized by the BGEA since Amsterdam in 2000. Attendance was by invitation only and free of charge, the theme was drawn from Romans 1:16 — not being ashamed of the gospel — and the BGEA said in a wrap-up message that the gathering ran for four days.
Franklin Graham, 73, who has led the association founded by his father Billy Graham since 2001, said in his opening address: "If we're going to reach Europe, we're going to need an army, an army of evangelists — unafraid, unashamed, unapologetic, uncompromising — standing on the Word of God." His son Will Graham, also an evangelist, accompanied him at the first press conference.
At that press conference, Evangelical Focus asked whether the negative perception of President Donald Trump in Europe, and Graham's presence at the presidential inauguration, could affect the association's evangelistic work in Europe. "I don't work for him," Graham said. "President Trump is the president of the United States. I didn't place him there; it was the millions of Americans who voted for him. He will be the president for the next three and a half years; it is what it is." He added: "Politicians come and then go, but God's Word stays the same."
The program included preaching, Bible studies and workshops, with worship led by Michael W. Smith, Charity Gayle and other European Christian artists. Speakers included Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Al Mohler and Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen. Among the testimonies, Bishop James Lagos Alexander of South Sudan shared how he had suffered violence, persecution and imprisonment for the gospel, and Rashin Soodmand, whose father was executed in Iran for following Christ, also addressed the congress.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 富兰克林·葛培理在Decision America巡讲户外会场演讲，Matt Johnson摄，CC BY 2.0（Wikimedia Commons）；Franklin Graham speaking at an outdoor Decision America Tour event, photo by Matt Johnson, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
