Volunteers from 1,000+ Local Churches Preparing for Festival of Hope in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil, April 14, 2010— An impressive volunteer effort is underway in Belo Horizonte, Brazil-where members of more than 1,000 local churches from a wide range of denominations are all working together to prepare for the upcoming Festival of Hope with Franklin Graham. 

Joined by popular Christian music artists from the U.S. and Brazil, Graham is bringing a message of hope and encouragement to Belo Horizonte, May 27-29.

"Everyone is welcome," said Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the international Christian relief organization Samaritan's Purse.  "Our hope is that anyone in Brazil who is struggling with questions about life or would like a new beginning will come to this Festival of Hope."

The Festival of Hope will be held at Mega Space in Belo Horizonte.  The three-day event will feature nightly messages from Graham, plus inspirational music from popular Christian artists including Michael W. Smith, Ana Paula, the Tommy Coomes Band, along with local musicians and a choir made up of volunteers from churches across the region.

All Festival programs will be open to the public and free of charge. 

Since 1989, Franklin Graham has held an average of seven Festivals each year as an evangelist for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

In January, Graham held his first event of 2010 in Chennai, India.  Along with Belo Horizonte (May 27-29), additional Franklin Graham events will be held this year in Vancouver, Canada (Aug. 7); Calgary, Canada (Aug. 21); Edmonton, Canada (Aug. 28); Osaka, Japan (Oct. 22-24); and Riga, Latvia (Nov. 5-7).

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