Evangelist Franklin Graham wrapped up his 14-day "God Loves You" tour on Route 66 on Saturday after visiting eight towns and witnessing the salvation of 5,000 people.
According to the Christian Headlines, Franklin Graham, CEO of Samaritan's Purse and Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, began his tour on September 19 in Joliet, Illinois, and ended it on October 2 in San Bernardino, Calif. The event, which lasted for two weeks, reportedly drew over 56,000 attendees.
"And tonight at the last stop in San Bernardino, I told the crowd that I'm not offering religion to anybody because religion can't save your soul from Hell-only Jesus Christ can," Graham said on Facebook.
"I thank God for all those who responded to the invitation to come to Jesus Christ in repentance and put their faith and trust in Him. Join me in praying for them," he added.
Graham was reportedly accompanied by Newsboys, Marcos Witt, and Dennis Agajanian on the #Route66 God Loves You Tour. The Tommy Coomes Band performed during the Saturday event, and Pastor Greg Laurie led the prayer.
CBN News reports that these were Graham's first public appearances since the COVID-19 crisis began.
On the aim of his "God Loves You" tour, Graham said that although times and cultures have changed, "people's need for a relationship with God through his son, Jesus Christ, doesn't change."
Additionally, he emphasized that people need hope in light of the dread and despair prevalent in today's society, as well as assurance that God loves them.
The preacher pointed out that people needed hope because of the constant barrage of negative news that they were exposed to.
"I want people along Route 66 - and the rest of this nation - to know that God loves them," he said.
The tour also stopped in St. Louis, Missouri, Springfield, Missouri, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Amarillo, Texas, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Flagstaff, Arizona.
Graham also posted a video on Twitter of a former gang member called David who encountered God's love while on the Route 66 event.
His evangelistic mantle
In 1989, Graham conducted his first Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) evangelistic engagement. With evangelistic Festivals held throughout the United States and across the globe over reportedly the last three decades, he has spent that time spreading the gospel.
With his Decision America Tour, Franklin Graham visited each of the 50 U.S. capitals in 2016, encouraging Christians to live lives based in Biblical principles and to pray fervently for the United States.
The tour has continued ever since, with over a quarter-million people reportedly attending "Christ-centered events" in Tennessee, Texas, California, the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast.
Graham has worked with Samaritan's Purse, a worldwide relief and evangelistic organization, for decades to fulfill the needs of the impoverished, sick, and suffering in over 100 nations.
"The most critical thing you can do is pray, pray, pray. The intercession of God's people is crucial if we are to see a return to the Biblical faith of our fathers, the faith that has guided and sustained our country for so long," was quoted as saying during the "God Loves You Tour."
