Evangelist Franklin Graham says “God did a miracle” in the hardline Communist country of Belarus at the weekend after he was allowed to hold what organisers described as the largest evangelical Christian gathering in the nation’s modern history.
As well as preaching the Gospel to more than 30,000 people over two nights, Reverend Graham broke down barriers and talked for two hours with authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko who has been in power for 31 years.
The Festival of Hope rally was organised by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) with the help of nearly 700 churches from across Belarus.
Additional crowds surrounded the Chizhovka Arena in the capital Minsk after arriving “on buses, trains, and cars from every part of the country.”
“WE SAW GOD ANSWER PRAYERS AND MOVE IN MIGHTY WAY”
Hundreds of participants responded to Reverend Graham’s invitation to “turn from their sins and put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.”
Referring to Romans 6:23, the American evangelist reminded the crowd that “the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
He also recounted the story of a man who reportedly planned to end his life earlier in the week, but later attended the rally and “found true hope” through faith in Christ.
“For the past week, Christians across this country have been praying 24 hours a day, and tonight we saw God answer those prayers and move in a mighty way,” Reverend Graham stressed.
“WE ARE AMAZED AT WHAT GOD IS DOING HERE”
Organisers BGEA said local Christians used words like “Historic”, “Unprecedented” and “Almost inconceivable” to describe the outreach.
“What is happening now. This is the act of God,” said Vasily Gherasimciuc, director of the Festival.
“We are amazed at what God is doing here.”
Leonid Mikhovich, the Bishop of the Baptist Association in Belarus, felt a little like Thomas in the Bible.
He wouldn’t believe the event was happening until he saw the stage and touched the chairs.
When he walked into the arena, it finally sank in. An event years in the making was finally coming true.
HOW THE OUTREACH DRAMATICALLY CHANGED ONE WOMAN’S LIFE
Reporter Maggie Fipps wrote about a woman named Elena for BGEA.
For Elena, the event was also years in the making, although she didn’t know it when she walked from her apartment to the arena.
From kindergarten on, she and her best friend Anna had been inseparable, moving from Russia to Belarus, and are even housemates today.
Anna often shared her deep faith in Jesus Christ with Elena, but it never sank in until Franklin Graham spoke to the crowd.
“Maybe you’re here tonight and you’re saying: There’s something missing in my life,’” he said
“You have a vacuum, an emptiness that can only be filled by God.”
FRANKLIN GRAHAM CLARIFIES WHAT PEOPLE LIKE ELENA ARE MISSING
Elena couldn’t argue with that. In every area of her life, she felt she just missed the mark.
From problems at her job to a broken relationship with her daughter, she simply felt loneliness.
“I tried everything, I went to many, many different churches. I was seeking,” Elena confessed.
What she didn’t realise is what she needed was a relationship with her Heavenly Father.
ELENA HEARS GOD’S CALLING CLEARLY
“He will put His arms around you tonight. He’ll forgive you,” Reverend Graham assured the crowd.
For Elena, feeling broken and inadequate, that was exactly what she needed to hear.
When Franklin Graham invited the crowd to come down to the front of the stage to pray and accept Jesus as their Saviour, Elena only had to walk a few steps.
She was seated in the deaf section near the front.
A prayer counsellor walked her through the steps of salvation in Russian Sign Language.
“ALL THIS DARKNESS, IT’S FLED AWAY”
“When I prayed, I knew that God is going to lead me,” Elena said with a wide smile.
“All of this darkness, somehow it’s fled away.”
Anna and Elena laughed together, knowing how their friendship has changed; they’re now sisters in Christ.
From the outside, Anna’s invitation to Elena seemed like just a simple question.
But Christians in Belarus had been preparing for this opportunity for months, and they had been praying around the clock for the event.
They even featured an extraordinary 1,300-member choir representing 43 cities and villages, accompanied by a symphony orchestra and local artists.
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR REMINDED OF WHEN HE HEARD BILLY GRAHAM PREACH IN MOSCOW
Festival Director Gherasimciuc said the event also encouraged the Belarusian church, as believers saw God answering many of their prayers.
It reminded him of an event just over 30 years ago, when trains packed full of people from Minsk traveled 650 kilometres to hear Franklin Graham’s father, Billy Graham, speak in Moscow
“I would say that the situation is about the same.”
“It was just after the breakup of the Soviet Union. People were hungry for the Gospel message,” Mr. Gherasimciuc remembers.
“The last 15 years, there was nothing massive, no mass evangelistic event. This is an event that has stirred Christians.”
WHAT THE EVANGELIST AND THE COMMUNIST LEADER TALKED ABOUT
Franklin Graham was warmly received by President Lukashenko, who has faced repeated Western sanctions over human rights abuses and his alliance with Russia during the war in Ukraine.
The president asked Reverend Graham to convey his “warm greetings” to President Trump and remarked that Belarus had “reliable friends and supporters” in America.
The evangelist even suggested Lukashenko and Trump “could become friends” if they met personally — adding that both leaders were “honest” and “straightforward.”
“The important thing is that they can meet and talk, get to know one another,” Franklin Graham argued, even suggesting Lukashenko invite Trump to Minsk for a round of golf.
PRESIDENT RECALLED HOW “EVERYONE PRAYED” IN THE SOVIET UNION
Reverend Graham thanked President Lukashenko for permitting evangelical churches to hold the Festival.
The president who grew up under Soviet-era atheism, told the American preacher he had personal familiarity with Protestant Christians from his time as a collective farm administrator.
“The Soviet Union was officially an atheist country, but unofficially, everyone prayed,” he said.
He revealed roughly half the workers on the farm where he served were Protestants.
“They are exceptionally kind and incredibly hardworking people.”
“WHEN YOU’RE TALKING WITH THE LORD ABOUT SINS, DON’T FORGET ABOUT MINE!”
The Belarusian president also acknowledged receiving humanitarian aid through U-S-based organisations.
According to BGEA, two-thirds of humanitarian aid Belarus received last year came from the United States, including from Samaritan’s Purse, which Franklin Graham leads as president and CEO.
Before the meeting ended, President Lukashenko made a lighthearted remark as the Reverend offered to pray for him:
“Franklin, when you’re talking with the Lord about sins, don’t forget about mine either,” he said.
FESTIVAL MARKED A DRAMATIC SHIFT FROM YEARS OF CRACKDOWNS ON CHRISTIANS
The evangelical gathering marked a dramatic shift after years of crackdowns by Belarusian authorities on evangelical, Catholic, and other clergy following the disputed 2020 presidential election.
In Belarus, a nation of about 9.5 million people, roughly 80% of the population identifies as Orthodox Christian, while Protestants — including evangelical believers — make up about 2%.
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