This month’s God Loves You Tour in Kraków is just under two weeks away, but the power of the Gospel is already changing lives through the outreach.
Kalena*, a teen from Ukraine who lives in Poland, heard about the tour and signed up for a free evangelism class during preparations for the event. The young woman invited her parents, who were not Christ followers, to come along.
They were some of the 3,000-plus people from across Poland who completed the Christian Life and Witness Course. The practical training equips Christians to live out their faith in Jesus Christ and share it with others.
Hearing about Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and the promise of eternal life resonated with Kalena’s mom and dad, and both prayed to receive Christ as their Savior.
Two months later, Kalena’s father, Michal*, was baptized, and he is now being trained to lead a Bible study in their home. The course not only changed his life, it awakened a passion in him to reach others with the same life-changing message. A few weeks ago, Michal invited one of his friends to visit his church with him, and he also chose to follow Christ.
Like thousands of other Christians across this nation’s second largest city, the family is busy preparing for the April 13 Bóg Cie Kocha Tour (God Loves You Tour). The one-night outreach will feature a Gospel message from Franklin Graham along with worship music from Michael W. Smith and Taya.
Poland needs an evangelistic event like this, said Pastor Wojciech Włoch, noting the nation’s deep divisions. His church is one of more than 300 involved with the outreach.
“There is so much hatred and fighting around us, even in so many of our own homes and families,” Włoch said. “It’s a critical problem, and experts and politicians are struggling to find a solution.
“This is why hundreds of churches from many different denominations across our country have united around the message of the Bóg Cie Kocha Tour,” he said. “ We believe it can bring the hope and peace that we need in our families and our nation.”
The problems in Poland stem from a spiritual darkness, said Hans Mannegren, festival director for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. One thing he’s been amazed at is the strong desire people have for others to know Christ—even complete strangers across the globe.
A small group of believers from South Korea are flying in to join local church members in prayer during the event at Tauron Arena Kraków. Before it starts, they’ll walk past the venue’s 15,000 seats, asking God to move in the hearts of those who will sit there.
Mannegren is grateful for the faithfulness of God’s people in Eastern Europe.
“It is a spiritual battle from the beginning to the end,” he said. “We have invested in prayer so thoroughly and deeply, declaring God’s right to this nation.”
Will you pray for this event in Kraków, that God will draw the lost to a personal relationship with His Son?
*Names changed to protect privacy.