Souls Delivered, Christians Emboldened in Brussels – Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

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It had been years since multiple denominations of churches in Belgium had joined together for an evangelistic effort. But more than 600 of them did for the Festival of Hope with Franklin Graham on Sept. 27 in Brussels. The fruit from that unified effort included hundreds of people, including many young adults and teens, coming to faith in Jesus Christ.
“It’s amazing to see this unity. And I think it’ll last in time,” Belgian Pastor Patrick de Caluwe said.
In 1975, Billy Graham preached to a crowd of more than 7,000 young adults during a 10-day event in Brussels. God used EuroFest, an international youth conference on evangelism, to ignite a fire for Gospel proclamation in the hearts of people from over 40 countries.
Fifty years later, more than 14,000 people of all ages gathered to hear the Gospel proclaimed by Franklin at the ING Arena. Over 1,200 responded to the Gospel during the Sept. 27 event. About half were 25 years old or younger, reflecting what Belgian pastors are discovering—an openness to the Gospel in young adults.
Across Belgium, some 620 churches were involved in the Festival. The heart of the European Union and NATO, Brussels is a lively center of governmental affairs, but the majority of hearts residing in the city remain spiritually lifeless, living lives apart from Christ. Only 1.35% are evangelical Christians, and less than 2% have heard the Gospel.
Belgium’s distinctive language regions have severed interactions between churches in different areas. But uniting to spread the Gospel has bonded churches in a way ministry leaders have never witnessed before.
“Pastors kept coming up to me, saying, ‘we need to do this more often,’” said Pastor David Vandeput, president of the Belgian Federal Synod of Evangelical and Protestant Churches. “They were so touched by the unity and the coming together of the two main regions of Belgium—the Dutch region and French region—which is a very hard thing to do.”
Vandeput, who acts as an intermediate between the church and government, said the Festival has brought visibility to the evangelical church in Belgium, a nation in which Christians often feel invisible.
Koen Celis, pastor of a Dutch-speaking church in Brussels, explained that feeling: “We are not seen in society. If you ask people on the street, ‘Can you tell me where can I find an evangelical church?’ they don’t know the words.”
Photograph: Ron Nickel / ©2025 BGEA
Many evangelical Christians face the risk of losing friends and family when they share the Gospel, says de Caluwe, who pastors a French-speaking church. Others are mocked or struggle with discouragement when loved ones reject the Gospel. Such responses often keep Christians from sharing their faith.
“You can be quickly targeted as a Christian and put aside,” he said. “That’s a price to pay. It’s harder than if you are living in a country where you just have Christians everywhere.”
Marie-Christine, de Caluwe’s wife, explained that many identify as Catholic but do not practice their faith.
“When you are someone who wants to live out your faith,” she said, “you are considered an extremist.”
However, Vandeput has witnessed the increasing hunger among Belgium’s youth to reach their communities with the Gospel throughout the event’s preparation. About three weeks before the Festival, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association organized the Pursuit of Worship Youth Night, which drew 1,210 youth for the Christian Life & Witness Course and I Am Andrew training, equipping them to share the Gospel.
“There is a thirst to be equipped and to go out and announce the Good News and be beacons of light,” said Vandeput. “I’ve always said that revival in Europe is going to come through the youth movement. And I really believe that’s what’s happening right now.”
Photograph: Ron Nickel / ©2025 BGEA
At the Festival, hundreds of young people surrendered their lives to Christ while others expressed a renewed desire to share the Gospel in their communities. The arena filled to capacity, but that didn’t stop 5,000 people from pouring into two overflow areas to watch the event on screens and to hear Christian musical artists, including Dennis Agajanian; The Afters, who sang in English, French and Dutch; and the Tommy Coomes Band.
After Charity Gayle closed the worship time with “Thank You Jesus for the Blood,” Franklin preached on the parable about the prodigal son, explaining how the son demanded that his father give him his inheritance early, only for him to squander it on sin and worldly pleasures. After he lost everything, the son returned home, starving, broken and repentant. Despite his wrongdoings, his father ran to meet him, receiving him with open arms.
“When you come to your Father in Heaven,” Franklin preached, “it’s the blood of Jesus that cleanses you from your sin.”
Samuel, 19, sat on the front row, listening.
Photograph: Ron Nickel / ©2025 BGEA
Photograph: Logan Ryan / ©2025 BGEA
“Come to Christ. He understands you,” Franklin said. “He knows your problems. He loves you. He cares for you, but you’ve got to be willing to come to Him in repentance. Turn from your sin.”
When Samuel was a small child, he learned about Jesus, but he didn’t fully understand who He is. Through the parable of the prodigal son, Samuel realized who God is—a loving Father willing to forgive all who call on His Name. When Franklin invited listeners to walk down to the front if they wished to receive Christ, Samuel responded to the call.
“I forgot that Jesus can forgive us,” Samuel said. “Sometimes, I say ‘probably I will go to Heaven” or “probably I will not go to Heaven.’ So the message really touched my heart and gave me an opportunity to go in front of God and ask Him to forgive me.”
In the sea of people praying to accept Christ, Anne, who had driven over an hour with her husband to be a prayer counselor, noticed a teenager, about 15 years old, who walked to the front. She approached him and asked if he needed someone to pray with him. He indicated that he wanted to receive Jesus.
“He said, ‘Yes, I know that Jesus came for me.’” After praying with him, Anne gave him a Bible and discipleship materials.
Other youths, already saved, experienced a renewal in their passion for evangelism.
Alessa, a 15-year-old Christian, discovered a burning desire to evangelize those around her.
Photograph: Ron Nickel / ©2025 BGEA
Photographs: Ron Nickel / ©2025 BGEA
Compelled by the Gospel presentation, she is now excited to focus on “spreading the Gospel to other people” and telling them about the salvation God offers through Jesus.
God also moved in the hearts of those in older generations.
At first, Evy, a 42-year-old Dutch-speaking woman, was hesitant to walk to the front, believing she was not good enough for Jesus because she is married to another woman. But the message of forgiveness spoke to her, and she walked to the front to commit her life to Christ.
Evy, who was invited to the event by her best friend, is looking forward to connecting to a church to help guide her in how she should now live in obedience to Christ.
Francis, a prayer counselor who became involved in volunteering at the Festival of Hope through his church, prayed with a 40-year-old man to accept Christ. The man came to the event through a friend’s invitation.
“I asked him what part of the message taught him, and he told me about the fact that this prodigal son left his family. But then his father welcomed him,” Francis said. “It reminded him of his own story because he was abandoned by his family.”
“He really related to this story where there was a different outcome—the prodigal’s father was waiting for him, while in his case, his family abandoned him.”
Vandeput, watching people pour to the front to accept Christ, was deeply moved by God’s loving power.
“I was amazed at what was happening. It wasn’t just a youth event. It wasn’t an old people’s event. It was an intergenerational effect that was taking place. God is on the move to touch the nations.”  ©2025 BGEA
Photo: Logan Ryan / ©2025 BGEA

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