January 2022
After 2021 ended in heartbreak for many families due to a series of deadly tornadoes in parts of the United States, crisis-trained chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT) spent the start of 2022 ministering in Kentucky.
Over 60 chaplains spent the new year helping the devastated community, providing prayer and a helping hand in any situation. Chaplains prayed with more than 2,300 people during this deployment, dozens made a decision for Christ and placed their hope and trust in the Lord.
Since the 24/7 Billy Graham Prayer Line started in March 2020, UK chaplains from the Rapid Response Team and volunteers have prayed with and encouraged thousands with the hope of Christ. In January 2022, the ministry hit a milestone by answering its millionth call.
February 2022
Left: For an entire year, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) had to clear its calendar of multiple evangelistic events as COVID-19 derailed the world’s plans. In February, Will Graham led the ministry’s first in-person evangelistic event in over a year. The Tiftarea Celebration livestream, broadcasted in real time from Georgia in United States, reached over 100,000 people in 50 countries from Brazil to the Philippines.
Right: A trained volunteer talks with a person who responded to the Gospel invitation at the Tiftarea Celebration in Georgia, United States.
March 2022
In March, BGEA celebrated a milestone for its internet evangelism ministry, Search for Jesus after PeaceWithGod.net and linked websites such as PeaceWithGod.org.uk reached 100 million visitors.
Following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team deployed crisis-trained chaplains to minister alongside Samaritan’s Purse at its Ukraine emergency field hospital – and at the Lviv train station, where tens of thousands of Ukrainians were arriving daily.
Left: On the outskirts of Lviv, the 58-bed emergency field hospital has an emergency room, intensive care unit and two operating rooms. A personal connection and encouragement in Jesus’ Name can mean so much when someone is suffering.
Right: At the hospital, chaplains offer to pray with people, knowing that God is the ultimate healer and restorer.
April 2022
Left: A month after crisis-trained chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team deployed to Ukraine, the ministry had trained over 100 local Ukrainian men and women to become BG-RRT chaplains.
Right: “So many people are hurting and hopeless, but God has given us an opportunity to point people to Jesus—the only one who can provide hope, comfort and true, lasting peace in this crisis. It’s also been encouraging to see how many Ukrainian men and women have eagerly come forward and want to train to become chaplains and be available in this time of need,” said Josh Holland, international director of BG-RRT.
After visiting Ukraine in March to see first-hand the work of BG-RRT and Samaritans Purse, Franklin Graham returned the following month to preach an Easter Message on the 17th April. The event included music from an 80=person local Ukrainian choir.
May 2022
Left: The UK-wide God Loves You Tour kicked off in Liverpool, where many men and women made a decision for Christ after hearing the unchanging Gospel message.
Right: “He’s taken your sins and he’s hit the delete button,” Franklin Graham said to the hundreds who had just made the most important decision of their lives—to follow Jesus.
Left: After a jubilant start in Liverpool, the God Loves You Tour continued in Newport. For his first-ever message in Wales, Franklin Graham related the story of blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52) to the hopelessness many have felt since the pandemic. “The only hope for any of us here is God,” he said.
Right: People from all ages and backgrounds danced and sang along to live music by the Newsboys.
Left: On the third stop of the UK God Loves You Tour, hundreds of people made the life-changing decision to follow Christ in Sheffield Arena. The event was much anticipated by many. For churches—some who came on buses—it was an integral time to not only see people come to faith in Christ, but to encourage them to be bold and tell others about God’s love.
Right: Nothing could contain the excitement of this crowd as they praised God in Sheffield.
June 2022
In June, many came to Christ at the three-day Celebration with Will Graham in Launceston, Australia. Dozens upon dozens attended the evangelistic outreach in person, whilst others from 18 countries watched the event online.
July 2022
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team provided a three-day ‘God’s Hope in Crisis’ course to pastors and church leaders in Poland in July. Polish church leaders received training in their mother tongue on how to provide emotional and spiritual support with those suffering. Ukrainian pastors received the same training in their native language the week before.
Months before the final stop of the God Loves You Tour, buses, billboards, and digital signs by bus stops in London pointed people to the event and Franklin Graham’s message of hope.
Left: On July 16, over 7,600 individuals from all across London and the UK poured into ExCeL London for the last city on Franklin Graham’s God Loves You Tour.
Right: The Holy Spirit was felt in the arena as many in the crowd worshiped God in their own unique way. Some jumped, some danced, some fell on their knees, and some raised their hands high.
Late July, hundreds of volunteers and staff from across the globe gathered at the Billy Graham Training Centre at The Cove in North Caroline, United States to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Search for Jesus, a ministry that uses the internet to share the Gospel in various languages.
August 2022
After at least 37 people lost their lives due to high floodwaters in eastern Kentucky, United States in August. Will Graham ministered alongside BG-RRT chaplains, offering a word of encouragement and prayer to residents.
Left: With the support of local churches from several countries, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) was able to host the evangelism summit for South America, “Cumbre de Evangelismo.”
Right: The event was planned for 500 attendees, but the thirst for God’s Word is such that many more arrived at the venue on the day of the event. Organisers and volunteers scrambled to find a way to welcome them. Eventually, the venue was filled with over 600 attendees. Joy was truly in the building!
September 2022
On the 8th of September, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II departed her earthly home and joined the Father in heaven. The death of the longest-reigning British monarch saddened the whole world. Thousands travelled to Buckingham Palace to pay their respects and honour her long life. As the world mourned, BG-RRT chaplains ministered in London, Windsor, and Edinburgh.
Left: Chaplains were able to offer prayer and a listening ear, helping people navigate any spiritual questions they may have had during a sad and solemn time.
Right: Hundreds of thousands of people made their way to London to honour the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and pay their respects to the Royal Family. Whether in taxis, on trains or packed in the tube, chaplains haven’t wasted an opportunity to show God’s love and share His hope with others.
October 2022
In October, more than 550 pastors and church leaders gathered for an Evangelism Summit hosted by the BGEA in Düsseldorf—a city in western Germany divided by the Rhine River—to unify, mobilise, and spur one another on in spreading the Gospel.
November saw a victory for believers and Christian organisations in the United Kingdom after Scottish court ruled in favour of Franklin Graham and religious freedom. The definitive ruling affirms Christians with traditional religious views must be treated fairly and equally.
The Glasgow ruling stems from an outreach in 2020 when Franklin Graham planned to share a message of God’s love across the UK. The tour was postponed after the venues cancelled their legally-binding contracts with BGEA. To date, five of those cases have been resolved in BGEA’s favour.
Left: More than 13,000 people attended the one-day Noi Festival in Milan, Italy. With the help of an interpreter, Franklin Graham shared the Gospel in both English and Italian.
Right: Friends hold up an Italian flag with the words “Dio è vivo” (God is alive) written across the middle.
November 2022
BG-RRT chaplains deployed to Seoul, South Korea after more than 150 people were killed in a stampede during Halloween festivities. The catastrophe made international headlines as one of the deadliest accidents in South Korea’s recent history.
Left: More than 16,500 people attended the three-city God Loves You Tour with Franklin Graham in New Zealand. “Whatever storm you face, Jesus can calm it. Whatever mountain is in front of you, He can conquer it,” Franklin Graham shared.
Right: Thousands of New Zealanders—also known as Kiwis—attended the first stop of the God Loves You Tour in Christchurch on the South Island.
“Inside Christchurch Arena, God moved in the lives of many,” Franklin Graham shared after the events. “We thank God for every heart that was touched, every life that was changed, and every person—young and old—who responded to the invitation to turn from their sins and put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
December 2022
Left: Earlier this month, the three-stop Northern Canada Christmas Tour with Will Graham (30th Nov – 4th Dec), hundreds heard the Good News of Jesus Christ, and many decided to accept Him into their hearts as Lord and Saviour. “I believe that God has truly changed lives through these three nights,” Will Graham said.
Right: Those who made a decision to follow Jesus were given discipleship materials to help grow their faith in Christ.
Will Graham has a heart for reaching remote areas of the world that are in need of the hope of Jesus Christ. During his visit to Northern Canada, he spoke with many local residents about the difference Jesus can make in their lives. Though the communities on the Christmas Tour are small, the lives impacted are significant. Will you pray for those who put their trust in Jesus Christ as they grow in their faith and reach others around them with the Gospel?