HISTORIC CONGRESS IN BERLIN
The Weekly Update – June 4, 2025
59 years after Billy Graham chaired the International Congress for Evangelists in Berlin, his son Franklin invited 1,000 Christian leaders and evangelists to the European Congress on Evangelism in the same city last week.
We stayed 3 nights in the best hotels, thanks to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. 55 European countries were represented: from Estonia to Iceland, from the Faroe Islands to Macedonia… An historic event.
At the opening meeting, the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, a committed Christian and Nobel Peace Prize winner, spoke.
It was a busy (too busy!) schedule, with up to 8 sermons a day. Great speakers such as Dr. Charles Price from Canada (‘The cross and blood of Christ are at the heart of gospel preaching’), Evangelist Greg Laurie from the USA (‘The gift and calling of the evangelist’) or this humble 87-year-old Indian preacher who has had the privilege of proclaiming the gospel to millions.
One of the highlights was the message of Pastor J. L. Alexander from South Sudan, imprisoned and tortured for proclaiming Christ. At the end of his address, the names of thousands of martyrs appeared on the big screen. Rarely have I experienced such a moving moment.
When Charity Gayle led her famous “I Say Jesus” a strong anointing was felt throughout the audience.
Friday morning, I woke up to the sight of numerous police vans near my hotel room. I learned that V. Zelensky (who had come to meet the new German Chancellor) was staying at the hotel next door. Franklin Graham told us in the evening that he had been able to pray with the Ukrainian president. A divine appointment.
This gathering enabled me to forge links with several French leaders whom I’d only known by name, or whom I’d met briefly one day.
At the last session, the Graham family took to the stage. In 1966, Billy Graham (now with the Lord) would never have imagined that one day, his son, grandson (also an evangelist) and great-grandchildren would be together in 2025 in the same capital city, encouraging men and women from all 4 corners of the continent to give their all to preaching the Gospel!
A short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkagHvnD7kw
PS: next week, on www.timothepaton.com, we’ll be sharing our weekend in Berlin…