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Evangelist Franklin Graham shared the Gospel in two open-air meetings attended by a total of 437,000 Ethiopians – in a public square infamous for communist rallies in previous years.
The massive crowds worshipped Jesus at the Encountering God Ethiopia outreach – and 4,000 people gave their lives to Christ. After the first evening, Graham said: “This is my 11th trip to Ethiopia, but the first time I have ever held a crusade here. What a joy it was to see 117,000 people come to Meskel Square (the name means Cross Square) to hear the Gospel message. We praise God for the many who came forward at the invitation to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Saviour.”
Over 1,600 evangelical Ethiopian churches planned the meetings with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), which took place 65 years after Graham’s father, Billy, preached in the capital, Addis Ababa. London will have its turn to hear Franklin Graham when his ‘God loves you’ tour returns to the ExCel Centre on 21 June 2025.
UKRAINE: Church grows despite war and persecution
The European Baptist Federation (EBF) says the number of Baptist churches in Ukraine is on the increase. In spite of the suffering caused by Russia’s war on Ukraine, Prophecy Today reports that the EBF has “reached 42,000 children over the winter” and 86 Baptist churches have been started over the three years of the war. In addition, around 10,000 people have been baptised and over 900 pastors and deacons ordained. The Baptists attribute the growth to prayer, and acknowledge in particular the annual National Day of Prayer on 24 February that was voted for by Ukraine’s parliament. However, a report also claims that, in its war with Ukraine, Russian forces specifically targeted Christians not affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. These included Baptist and other evangelical congregations, Ukrainian Orthodox and Catholics. (Photo, Ukraine flag in Kyiv. Credit pexels.com-stefits-11920873)
Around 10,000 people have been baptised and over 900 pastors and deacons ordained. Up to 70 pastors have disappeared or been murdered
Thousands have fled the Russian-occupied territories since Putin’s invasion. Hundreds of churches have been closed, destroyed, or expropriated. Many pastors and priests have been kidnapped, tortured, illegally deported, or murdered by the Russian National Guard and Russian Police. One report states that up to 70 have disappeared or been murdered, and that the level of brutality is horrific.
Tragically, many Ukrainian Christians also face persecution from their own government, specifically if they are considered to have ties with Russia, such as the Russian Orthodox Church, and by default, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Pro-lifer banned from Reddit
A pro-life campaigner has been barred from a forum on social media platform Reddit for trying to help a woman being forced to have an abortion. Andrea Trudden says: “I was banned from an abortion-focused Reddit forum for simply suggesting that a woman – who explicitly said she felt pressured into an abortion by her boyfriend – reach out to Option Line to find safe housing and support. The response I received was blunt: ‘We ban sharing of anti-abortion resources’.”
She adds this was “an outright rejection of any alternative to abortion – even when a woman herself expressed hesitation and concern… If a woman feels coerced into abortion, shouldn’t she have access to resources that can help her choose something different?”
Andrew Halloway is a British freelance editor, writer and publishing consultant. He is also editor of Good News—a national monthly evangelistic newspaper (www.goodnews-paper.org.uk). Andrew has 18 years’ experience as an editor and publishing manager in the Christian publishing world, and holds a first class honours degree in Humanities. He has long had an interest in the creation/evolution debate, and is the contributing editor of ‘The Delusion of Evolution’, a magazine-style evangelistic booklet that has sold over 23,000 copies in the UK (available from www.newlife.co.uk).