Franklin Graham to Speak at Japanese Revival Meeting This Weekend

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Nov 19, 2015

Franklin Graham to Speak at Japanese Revival Meeting This Weekend

Japan will be hosting a massive revival meeting this weekend, and Franklin Graham is scheduled to deliver a Gospel message.

According to Charisma News, plans for the event, called the Celebration of Love, have been ongoing for the last several years, but no one expected the interest to be so high.

In fact, event coordinators decided to add a fourth event to the Celebration to accommodate the high amount of interest. Thousands of tickets have already been purchased. 

Chad Hammond, director of Asian Affairs for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, also said that “Our initial goal was to get 400 churches involved, and we're at 465.”

The event will take place in Tokyo at the Nippon Budokan, known in Japan simply as the Budokan. The Budokan is a widely-known venue that has hosted Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and The Beatles. The interest in this weekend’s event is likely in part due to the fact that it will be taking place in the Budokan.

In preparation for this weekend’s event, pastors and believers have walked around the venue, praying for God to revive Tokyo, a city of more than 37 million people.

Church attendance in Japan is very low, with most congregations being comprised of no more than 20-30 people. Less than one percent of Japanese claim to be Christian.

The Celebration of Love will also feature a Jericho Prayer Walk in which participants will walk around the Budokan seven times. There will also be music, including worship led by HIllsong. 

“The Celebration of Love is not about gathering Christians together. Our goal is to bring out the unchurched, those who don't know Jesus,” Hammond stated.

Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Publication date: November 19, 2015



Franklin Graham to Speak at Japanese Revival Meeting This Weekend