Franklin Graham to speak at Hyderabad on Thursday

A major evangelical event that will be addressed by renowned evangelist Franklin Graham is scheduled to begin on Thursday in Andhra Pradesh.

The 'Hyderbad Festival' that will feature Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), will be held from November 10 to 13 at LB Stadium, Hyderabad.

Son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, Franklin would be speaking to a crowd of over 40,000 people from close to 2,000 churches across the city and nation. Praise and worship will be led by musicians that include Benny Prasad, Dayanidhi Rao, and bands such as Yeshua and Sounds of the Nations.

The event seeks to "win the lost to Christ and see them nurtured within a church body and given a chance to grow and become true disciples of Christ".

"Our goals are to strengthen the churches and families of Hyderabad; to impact the entire community with the Good News of the Gospel; and to empower Christians to share their faith so that the investment of the Festival in the community will continue long after the final service ends," said a note from the organisers.

A similar Festival was held in Chennai last year. The 'Chennai Hope Festival' drew a crowd of nearly 85,000 people.

"The youth are eager to see a change happen in their country and they have been a model of unity. Pray that the youth would see their need for Christ and that the older generation would see the need for changing times," said Chad Hammond, the director for the Hyderabad Festival.

Meanwhile, right-wing Hindu groups such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have threatened to disrupt the event even though prior permission was obtained and security arrangements were being made.

The VHP alleged that Franklin will be taking part in religious activities which is not permitted for those travelling with a visiting visa.

"Franklin is coming to India on a visiting visa but will be participating in religious activities. If the government does not respond to the violation of visa norms, the VHP along with other Hindu organisations, will stage a protest at the stadium," said VHP state joint secretary T Yaman Singh.

Franklin, who serves as the CEO of international relief organization Samaritan's Purse, would be addressing a crowd in Hyderabad for the first time.

Following a cyclone in 1977 and tsunami in 2005, BGEA and Samaritan's Purse helped build villages and provided fishing boats.

Hammond says that pastors in Hyderabad are familiar with Franklin Graham's work in India. "He has through Samaritan's Purse done a lot of humanitarian work here. Pastors and churches are aware of that legacy."