Rev. Franklin Graham led a two-day evangelistic outreach named "Encountering God" in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on March 8-9, where over 4,000 individuals committed their lives to Jesus Christ. This event marked a significant milestone, occurring “65 years after his father, the late Billy Graham, first preached in Addis Ababa.”
At a press conference, Graham reflected on the continuity of the Gospel, stating, “My father preached the same Gospel message 65 years ago. The world has changed, politics have changed, but the Gospel does not change. It’s the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.”
During the outreach, Graham delivered powerful messages centered on God’s love for Ethiopia and the transformative effect of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
On Saturday, he preached from Mark 10:46-52, recounting the encounter of Jesus with blind Bartimaeus, who received healing due to his faith. He emphasized the spiritual blindness without Christ, explaining, “Outside of Jesus Christ, you’re spiritually blind. It doesn’t matter what you have or who you are, you are spiritually poor without God,” asking the question, “Are you willing to say, ‘God, have mercy on me?’”
On Sunday, Graham shared the story of Zacchaeus, highlighting that no one is too insignificant in God's eyes. In addition to the spiritual impact, Franklin Graham emphasized the humanitarian efforts of Samaritan’s Purse in Ethiopia, which has provided medical care, clean water, and nutrition programs over the years.
The outreach was organized by the Ethiopian Council of Gospel Believers’ Churches, which comprises over 3,000 churches in Ethiopia, following months of preparation, prayer, and discipleship training.
Seneshat Teka, director of spiritual development at the council, noted the significance of focusing on biblical teachings due to the strong emphasis on tradition and non-biblical doctrine among many Ethiopians. She stressed that it is vital for Evangelical pastors to remain committed to “the preaching and teaching of the Word of God.”
Pastor Ashebir Ketema, the council’s International Relations Director, expressed the importance of preaching freedom, drawing from his experience as a survivor of the communist regime, having endured imprisonment and attempts to change his faith from 1974 to 1991. He stated, “When we see such events, that’s the hand of God… to preach freely in this country; it’s because of the hand of God.”
Ketema also highlighted how the period of persecution ultimately strengthened the Evangelical community, which now comprises nearly one-third of the nation’s population.
The evangelistic outreach is part of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's (BGEA) initiative to share the Good News of Jesus Christ across five continents, connecting new believers with local, Bible-believing churches for further discipleship.
