Franklin Graham Draws Thousands to Evangelical Rally in Belarus
A rare mass evangelical event in Orthodox-majority Belarus drew thousands while underscoring close cooperation between Franklin Graham and Lukashenko’s government.
MINSK — Protestant evangelist Franklin Graham met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ahead of a major evangelical outreach event in Minsk, thanking the government for allowing nearly 700 churches to organize what he described as an unprecedented evangelistic gathering in modern Belarusian history. Lukashenko praised Protestant believers and highlighted Belarus’ “interfaith peace,” while also thanking Graham’s organization, Samaritan's Purse, for humanitarian aid sent to the country.
The Festival of Hope drew crowds of about 15,000 people to Minsk’s Chizhovka Arena over two nights. Evangelicals make up less than 2 percent of Belarus’ population, while the majority of religious believers in the country belong to the Russian Orthodox Church or the Roman Catholic Church.
“Tonight, you have an opportunity to make sure your soul is safe and secure in the hands of God,” Graham told attendees. “He sent His Son from Heaven to this earth to take your sins. Tonight, you can be forgiven.”
Organizers described the event as the largest evangelical gathering in Belarusian history, with hundreds reportedly coming forward during altar calls and more than 2,000 people responding to invitations to accept Christ. Local Protestant leaders said the outreach united evangelical communities spread across roughly 800 churches nationwide.
The event focused on themes of repentance, personal salvation, and spiritual renewal, with attendees sharing emotional testimonies about anxiety, loneliness, and searching for meaning.
One moment from the event was shared by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association:
“Will you come to Christ tonight? Will you follow Him? Will you trust Him tonight?” Graham asked the crowd.
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When Graham invited the audience to approach the stage and pray to receive salvation, both Alexandra and Irina made their way to the front, along with hundreds of others. There were people of all ages—wearing head scarves and hearing aids to ball caps and bows.
Graham smiled at the crowd and checked his watch. “It’s 7:04. Write that time down. God heard your prayer today. He forgave you.”
After the fall of the Soviet Union, well-known American evangelist Billy Graham agreed with Patr. Alexy II that he would not proselytize to the Russian Orthodox faithful, but simply preach Christ.
"I assured him we didn't come here to proselytize, that I have been here a number of times with the Orthodox Church as their guest, that I have a great love for the church and believe the people need to go back to their roots and put a great deal of emphasis on Bible study," Billy said at the time. "All of the crosses we see on the cathedrals and the Kremlin remind us of the history of this country with roots deep in Christianity."
In 2015, Franklin Graham visited Patr. Kirill of Moscow, where His Holiness reminded the younger Graham about this promise.
“There were many missionaries of different kind, including those from Western countries, in the early 90s here," Patr. Kirill said. "They were seeking to convert the Orthodox into their faith, and we were in anxiety about our relations with Western Christians. I recall a meeting of my predecessor, Patriarch Alexy II, with your father. Patriarch Alexy II told him about a difficult situation in Russia and about hard feelings which our Church experienced because of the behavior of these false brothers. And your father said that the Billy Graham Association would never go along this way but will develop relations with the Russian Orthodox Church. This promise has been fulfilled.”
In his meeting with Lukashenko, Franklin said:
“It is a great honor to meet with you today. We have come to deliver our message to all Belarusians, and this message is from the Lord God.”
Previously, the UOJ reported that an Evangelical church interviewed an Orthodox priest on the liturgy.
