Celebration of Grace the first Billy Graham Evangelistic Association event ever held in the country
Evangelist Will Graham shared the grace and hope of Jesus Christ with 33,100 people in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, over the weekend. The three-day Celebration of Grace with Will Graham was held Feb. 7-9 at the Moratumulla Methodist Church Grounds.
Local organizers referred to the Celebration as the largest evangelistic outreach ever held in the largely Buddhist nation. In the days leading up to the event, local Christians handed out approximately 25,000 invitations to neighbors, co-workers and commuters at the train station.
"Money cannot change the human heart. Only God can change your heart," Graham told the gathered crowd, his voice carrying across loud speakers that had been set up in a one kilometer radius around the venue. "Maybe you are dealing with death, and you're not sure where you're going to spend eternity. Tonight you can be assured. Salvation is waiting for you."
In response to Graham's invitation, a total of 6,819 people crowded in front of the stage and made a commitment to Christ.
The Celebration of Grace with Will Graham marked the first time that the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) hosted a multi-day event in the country. Previously, the churches in Sri Lanka had participated in Billy Graham's Mission World outreach, watching the evangelist live via satellite from San Juan, Puerto Rico, in March 1995.
The Celebration of Grace with Will Graham in Sri Lanka was the first evangelistic outreach on Graham's busy 2014 calendar. Events in Japan, Papua New Guinea, Australia and Clinton, Miss., will take place over the coming months.
