When local pastors heard the news that Esperanza (Hope) Venezuela with Franklin Graham would be coming to their city in February, they erupted with cheers and great joy. Their celebration quickly turned to prayer as they stood to lift their voices in intercession for their region.
From a room that overlooks the lush green mountains surrounding the Caracas Valley, the pastors prayed aloud, raising their hands as they asked God to bless the people of their city.
“We will see this valley covered, from north to south and from east to west, with the presence of Almighty God,” said preacher Luis Paz as he led the prayer.
The announcement could not have come at a more providential time. In recent decades, their country has been marked by instability and uncertainty, and just two months ago, the northern part of the nation experienced the most devastating earthquake it has seen in over a century.
Venezuelan pastors believe these experiences have brought people to a point where the only thing they can do is lift their eyes toward Heaven.
“I believe this is a moment in Venezuela when people cannot deny the fact that there is a God and that this God is making Himself known so that His children will draw near to His presence,” explained church leader Román Zárate of Las Acacias Pentecostal Church.
“People are now more aware of their spiritual need, and I believe this is the time when they will seek God, and He will use His church for this purpose,” he said.
Pastor Elías Hernández knows that there are no coincidences.
“It’s no coincidence that God is bringing this Festival in the midst of the emotional turmoil my country is going through,” he said. “God doesn’t arrive too soon or too late. He always arrives at exactly the right moment.”
In addition to officially launching the Esperanza Venezuela evangelistic outreach, the conference—organised at the invitation of the Evangelical Council of Venezuela—featured presentations by well-known international speakers who sought to build up local pastors and encourage them to remain faithful to their ministry calling even in the midst of hard times.
Spanish-speaking evangelist David Ruíz of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) taught from Mark 6:45–52. When Jesus saw His disciples struggling to row against the wind, he explained, God did not immediately remove them from their circumstances. Simply by being present with them in the storm, He brought them peace.
“When the wind is against us, God sees us,” he said in his message. “When we go through trials, He tells you, ‘You are not alone. I am with you.’”
Throughout the day, the pastors were urged to remain faithful to preaching Scripture, to fulfil the Great Commission, and to ask the Lord to work in their character so that they would stand strong in their calling.
Zárate believes the pastors needed a conference that allowed them to sit on the other side of the pulpit—and receive spiritual nourishment.
“Pastors sometimes need to be treated as fragile people, as people who also suffer,” he explained. Because of their constant efforts to minister to others, pastors often forget to acknowledge their own needs.
He also believes that, beyond denominational differences, the conference marked a renewed sense of unity among the city’s pastors. “Our hearts were strengthened today through the Word, but above all through the unity we were able to experience,” he said.
Chris Swanson, Festival director for BGEA, anticipates that Esperanza Venezuela will result in a great harvest for the kingdom of Heaven.
“The fact that the doors of Venezuela are opening at this very moment is evidence that this is God’s time,” he said. “I see the pastors greatly encouraged and ready to share the Gospel in Caracas and beyond.”
“That we gathered here today to receive God’s call to be part of what He has planned for Caracas is a miracle to us,” said Felipe and Sonia Rodríguez of Buenas Nuevas de Salvación Church.
“Now it is up to us to wait in faith for what is going to happen. We believe the Lord will ‘add to their number those who are being saved.’”
