Rock Thurrock Press Release from BGEA
ROCK THURROCK:
WILL GRAHAM AND TOP ARTISTS REACH TEENS WITH A MESSAGE OF HOPE
Attention Turns to 2013 Franklin Graham Event in London
 THURROCK, Essex, 26 Sept., 2011 – Evangelist Will Graham completed an 18-day visit to the United Kingdom on Monday, culminating with the long anticipated Rock Thurrock event at the Thurrock Civic Centre, 23-25 Sept. The event, which featured a “Celebration of Hope” for all ages on Friday night and two “main events” for young people on Saturday and Sunday, had a total attendance of 1,950, with 299 coming forward when invited to make a decision to follow Jesus. Approximately 75 percent of those that came forward were between the ages of 10 and 18.
Will was joined onstage by some of the top Christian musical artists in the United Kingdom, including hip-hop group LZ7, rock band Empire Nation, and rhythm & blues group Beautiful Remnant. Along with The Gathering Band, Shell Perris led a time of worship on Friday night, and she also served as MC along with Soldier during Saturday’s and Sunday’s programs.
In addition to his messages, Will brought greetings from his grandfather, Billy Graham, who has a long history of ministry in the United Kingdom. Throughout his time in the country Will was warmly welcomed by many people who recalled seeing the elder Graham preach in one or more of his many UK events, beginning with his Greater London Crusade at Harringay Arena in 1954 and ending with Mission England in 1989.
Prior to the opening night of Rock Thurrock, Will spent two weeks touring the United Kingdom and speaking to several different groups from Cardiff to Exeter. All told, Will spoke at 26 different events during his 18-day visit.
“I’ve spoken with Christians and church leaders across the country, and they’re all telling me the same thing,” said Graham. “They all say that it feels like God is getting ready to do something big in the UK. They’ve seen things they haven’t seen in 30 years, such as the level of prayer and unity in the churches.”
 Colin Baker, pastor of Grays Baptist Church and chairman of the Rock Thurrock Core Team, shared the excitement that has been felt by area churches throughout the past year. “We’ve begun to see churches realise that it is possible to work together. People were walking in on Friday night to see what was happening, and they could hardly believe that after all this time we finally got something which we can really be proud of.”
Earlier in the week, a wide range of church leaders from the London area gathered to hear the news that Will’s father, Franklin Graham, would be part of a large-scale evangelistic outreach in UK. It is anticipated that the event will take place in London in 2013.
Will Graham’s next multi-day Celebrations will be announced in October. For more information on Will Graham, visit www.willgrahamcelebrations.com.
About Will Graham: Will is the third generation of Grahams to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ under the banner of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Will is the grandson of Billy Graham and the oldest son of Franklin Graham. Since beginning his evangelistic ministry with youth-oriented, one-day events in Canada, Will has spoken to audiences across North America, Australia, India and other parts of Asia and South America.
By Erik Ogren of BGEA
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Erik Ogren (BGEA), 28/09/2011 |
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