“It’s a miracle to have such numbers of people showing up and to have churches from diverse language background working together, it is completely unexpected”, the Belgian organisers said.
Over 14,000 people gather in Brussels for the Festival of Hope. Photo: [link]BGEA media[/link]
More than 14,000 people recently gathered at the ING Arena of Brussels, Belgium, for the Festival of Hope, organised by by 620 Belgian evangelical churches in collaboration with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA).
Due to high ticket demand, the nearly 9,000 seats at the ING Arena were not enough, and once full capacity was reached, another 5,000 people were seated in two nearby overflow areas, where the event was live-streamed on big screens.
“It’s a miracle to have such large numbers of people showing up for this and to have Dutch and French churches working and collaborating together, it is completely unexpected”, said David Vandeput, president of the Belgian Federal Synod of evangelical and Protestant churches.
Franklin Graham, evangelist and CEO of BGEA was the keynote speaker. According to the organisers, his message was translated live into seven languages, “to make it accessible to all attendees”.
Graham told the crowd that he was “impressed with the number of young people who are here. People are here from everywhere, it’s a melting pot”.
[photo_footer]Franklin Graham, evangelist and CEO of BGEA was the keynote speaker. / BGEA.[/photo_footer]
“I want you to know that God loves you and that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, from heaven to this earth to take your sins. This is why Jesus Christ came. He came to save us. Jesus Christ came for all, but you’ve got to come to Him in faith”, he added.
Christian artists Charity Gayle and The Afters led the worship times.
Not all churches in Brussels supported the festival. The Association évangélique d’églises baptistes de langue française (Evangelical Association of French-speaking Baptist Churches, AEEBLF), declined to be associated with the event.
“Of course, we sympathize with our brothers and sisters who want others to encounter Jesus. We recognize their efforts and we trust that God will use this event in gracious ways. But how are we supposed to unite around someone who publicly claims that those who don’t share his political stance can’t be fellow evangelicals?”, said Belgian theologian member of AEEBLF, Léo Lehmann.
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