More than 10,000 people gathered to hear Franklin Graham in Manchester on Saturday 3 October, with organisers reporting that hundreds responded to his invitation to follow Jesus Christ. The free God Loves You Tour event at Co-op Live brought together Christians and their guests from across the North West.
A subsequent report in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s Decision magazine put the number making decisions for Christ at more than 800. These are figures reported by the ministry, which organised the outreach alongside local churches.
Music from Michael W. Smith and Charity Gayle formed part of the evening, with British Christian rapper Faith Child also performing. Behind the gathering were months of preparation involving nearly 600 evangelical churches. According to BGEA, more than 200 buses brought people to the arena and thousands of Christians received training to share their faith.
Franklin Graham in Manchester shares a call to repentance
Franklin, president and CEO of BGEA and son of the late evangelist Billy Graham, spoke about the certainty of death and the hope of forgiveness through Jesus. The association’s press release described how he opened by referring to alarming headlines about artificial intelligence before asking listeners to consider their own readiness to meet God.
“Jesus came to save us. He didn’t come to condemn us,” he said.
Other Christian media reports explored the substance of that message. Premier Christian News reported that Franklin drew on the account of Lot leaving Sodom and urged those listening to consider their personal relationship with Christ.
“Are you ready to stand before God? Are you ready to give an account to Him?” Premier quoted him as asking.
Christian Today, carrying a report credited to The Christian Post, described his warning against following the example of Lot’s wife, who looked back as her family fled. It also reported Franklin’s recollection that, despite his Christian upbringing, he did not commit his life to Christ until he was 22.
Church attendance and family background could not substitute for a personal response to Jesus, he explained. His invitation centred on repentance and receiving Christ by faith.
“God is offering you forgiveness. He’s offering you cleansing,” he said, as reported by Christian Today.
Supporting those who responded
For the churches involved, the work continues after the arena gathering. BGEA says trained local Christians are now supporting those who came forward, helping them take their first steps in following Jesus.
Decision magazine also spoke to Jacob Harrison, an assistant pastor at King’s Church in Bolton, about the questions drawing people towards faith.
“Nowadays there is a real cry out that people really want to know what is my purpose?” Jacob said.
For Christians elsewhere in Britain, the event offers encouragement to keep inviting others to explore faith. The preparation by local congregations and their continuing support for new believers underline the importance of relationships alongside public Gospel preaching.
Franklin Graham’s God Loves You Tour, Manchester. Photos courtesy of BGEA UK.
The evening was the latest stop on a tour that has visited several UK cities since 2022. Franklin Graham in Manchester followed more than a year of prayer and planning, after BGEA first announced the event twelve months ahead. Church leaders across the region are now praying the night will be remembered for the lives changed in the weeks and months that follow, as new believers settle into local congregations.
Previously: Franklin Graham brought the God Loves You Tour to London’s ExCeL in August 2023, with Christians from more than 2,000 churches across the UK working together to invite friends and neighbours. Read our earlier article: London ExCel to host the God Loves You, Franklin Graham 2023 UK tour in August.
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