Approximately 185 clergy and church leaders attended a meeting earlier this month that announced specifics for the Gulf Coast Festival 2006.
The festival, to be led by Franklin Graham, will be held at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. 21-23 April 2006.
"I look forward to bringing a message of hope to Mobile," said Graham who recently accepted local church leaders’ invitation to lead the Festival, according to the statement.
"People will hear a lot of music from award-winning artists, personal testimonies and most importantly an opportunity to accept a challenge that will change their lives."
At the University of South Alabama’s Mitchell Centre, Roy Lewis of Roy Lewis Construction Corporation was named chairman of the General Festival Committee and will oversee the nine-month Festival preparation process, according to a recent statement by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
"The Franklin Graham Festival will have a lasting and positive impact on the collective morality of the Greater Mobile area," said Clint Pressley, pastor of Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile.
"Without a doubt this will be the single most spiritually uplifting event our region has seen in some time, said Pressley."
For several months Mobile pastors and church leaders have urged Franklin Graham to conduct a Festival in their region.
The General Festival Committee comprised of local volunteers from the Greater Mobile area will assist in the planning and operation of the Gulf Coast Franklin Graham Festival.
Festivals are free and open to the public. For more information, contact BGEA.org.
Rhoda Tse
Christian Today Correspondent
