SAO PAULO - Brazil's main commercial centre, Sao Paulo, came to a standstill on Thursday, when it became the site of the biggest annual Christian movement in the nation. The May 26th 'March for Jesus' brought together over two million people, who marched along a pre-planned, one-mile route beginning at 10a.m.
They started near the University of Sao Paulo's school of Medicine and walked to the modern, skyscraper-lined Avenida Paulista, stopping where the crowd would gather for the closing program.
"The purpose of this march, and of all the other ones we have organised over the years, is to conquer Brazil for Jesus Christ," said Camila Nascimento, a spokeswoman for the evangelical Reborn in Christ Church, the main organiser of the event.
One stage was set up for speeches and musical presentations that would close the event. Some brief speeches emphasised the reason for the event: The love of God and His plan of salvation in Christ were transmitted to the multitudes. In addition, 31 Christian artists of various musical styles performed for the worshipers.
The event, which was trasmitted live to portuguese speaking nations of Africa, was also seen by the entire population of Sao Paulo through broadcaster TV Aberta (Open TV), cable television, satelite and radio stations.
Event coverage was transmitted to the entire nation live by TV Aberta on Rede Gospel Television. A team of reporters spread out along the march route, and backstage providing interviews with participants who testified about the transformation they had experienced through the gospel of Christ.
Although the closing show was scheduled to start by late afternoon, when the march began at 10a.m., a great number of people were already near the end of the march route, anxiously waiting, praying, and encouraging the team workers that were finishing up the last bits and pieces for the stage presentations.
The Rebirth Foundation (Fundação Renascer), which organised the event, had originally estimated that close two million people would take part in the event.
However, by 12 noon, before official figures had yet been released, a police spokesman said to Rede Gospel Television that the sum of people waiting for the show and those taking part in the march at that moment had already surpassed two million.
The spokesperson also said that a great number of people would still be coming, and concluded that the count would certainly exceed expectations, which would make the March for Jesus the biggest event which has ever taken place on Avenida Paulista. For years, it has been the main stage for the most important movements in the country.
"In all the years of work in movements along Avenida Paulista, I had never seen such a huge yet peaceful crowd as this," declared the spokesperson to Rede Gospel.
