But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
—John 4:14, ESV
In the heart of Fountain Hills, Arizona, one of the world’s tallest man-made springs shoots vibrant blue water 560 feet in the air.
Like The Fountain’s refreshing contrast against the surrounding desert, local Christians know the “living water” that Jesus Christ offers is the only thing that can quench the spiritual thirst of their neighbors.
This is why churches invited Will Graham to host an evangelistic Look Up Celebration on March 22.
“Pastors saw the need in the community,” said John Brandenburg, Celebration Director for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). “They believe that God is going to move in Fountain Hills and that the timing and everything is right for this outreach.”
The free event will take place right in front of The Fountain and feature live music, followed by a message about God’s love and salvation from Will Graham.
The city—which operated as a cattle ranch before 1970—is home to more than 20,000 people and is situated near two Native American reservations.
“Roughly 9% of the people in Fountain Hills are churched. It’s a huge mission field,” Brandenburg said. “So many people are looking for hope, and they don’t know that Jesus is the answer.”
In the weeks leading up to the Celebration, nearby churches have been working together to host evangelism training offered by BGEA called the Christian Life and Witness Course (CLWC). These classes are designed to equip believers to boldly and effectively share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
One CLWC session was held on a reservation, and two were taught entirely in Spanish.
Over 100 people recently attended CLWC at Trinity Lutheran Church.
“That was a really encouraging opportunity for people to learn about, one, how do I grow in being a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ? And two, how do I share my faith?” said John Koczman, senior pastor at Trinity Lutheran. Koczman is also part of the Celebration’s leadership team.
He remembers feeling the call to ministry as he watched Billy Graham preach on TV in 1977. After becoming a pastor shortly after, he volunteered at a Billy Graham Crusade in Denver, Colorado.
Now, over 40 years later, Koczman is excited that the evangelist’s grandson will be bringing the Gospel message to his community.
“My biggest prayer for this event is for those who are lost to come to know Christ, and that those who are Christians will grow in their passion for sharing their faith,” he said. “There are not a lot of voices in our country who are telling people, ‘Hey, you need to get out there and tell people about Christ.’”
So far, over 1,000 people have participated in CLWC.
“We are encouraging believers to write down names of people they want to come to the event, and pray for them daily,” said Brandenburg.
“A couple wrote down names one morning and started praying for them,” he continued. “That afternoon, those people came up to them and said, ‘We think we want to come to this event you’ve been talking about.’”
During CLWC training, participants receive Gospel tracts called “Steps to Peace With God” to distribute around their community.
“One guy said he shared [the tract] with someone on a job site, and that person prayed to receive Christ,” Brandenburg said, recalling another instance of God moving among Arizona believers.
“We realize the Gospel is bigger than just right here,” Brandenburg added. He shared that 14 surrounding cities—including Phoenix and Scottsdale—are also hosting evangelistic training and encouraging Christians to bring their friends to the Celebration.
“We are praying that the Lord will do a great work here … across the whole Valley,” he said.
Will you join local believers in praying that many will attend the Look Up Celebration and personally experience redemption in Jesus Christ?
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