14,300 Attend Celebracion de Esperanza in Las Piedras, Uruguay

Contact: Erik Ogren, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 704-577-2109, eogren@bgea.org

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 29 /Christian Newswire/ -- Evangelist Will Graham wrapped up the three-day Celebracion de Esperanza (Celebration of Hope) in Las Piedras, Uruguay, on Sunday, October 24. The event, held in the 3,000 seat Estadio Municipal Juventud soccer stadium, saw an average attendance of 3,575 during the four meetings with a total attendance of 14,300. More than 1,720 responded to the invitation to make a commitment to Jesus.

Las Piedras, the third largest city in Uruguay, is located approximately 12 miles from Montevideo.

"I am continually humbled when I have the opportunity to get up in front of people and share the Good News of the Gospel," said Graham. "The barriers of culture and language fall away as people recognize their need for Christ in their lives."

Galo Vasquez has served as the Celebration director and helped to guide the months-long preparation process leading up to the event. Vasquez, who was also the interpreter for Graham, has represented the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Latin America in different capacities for more than 20 years.

"Uruguay is one of the most economically developed countries in South America, but it is also one of the most secular societies and unreached countries with the Gospel," said Vasquez. "The churches here are very united, and have been enthusiastic in partnering together for the sake of reaching their friends, family and neighbors."

The Celebration follows other BGEA efforts in Uruguay, including a Franklin Graham Festival in Montevideo in 2009 and a My Hope World Evangelism through Television nationwide outreach in 2007.

Earlier this year, nearly 20,000 attended the East Alabama West Georgia Will Graham Celebration in Auburn, Ala., with nearly 800 responding to the invitation to accept Jesus as their Savior. In November, the next Will Graham Celebration in the United States will be formally announced in New Jersey.

For more information on Will Graham Celebrations, visit www.willgrahamcelebrations.org.

About Will Graham
Will is the third generation of Grahams to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ under the banner of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). Will is the grandson of Billy Graham and the oldest son of Franklin Graham. Will has spoken to audiences across North America, Australia, India and other parts of Asia and South America. Will graduated from Liberty University in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Religion and in 2001 graduated from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree. He currently serves as assistant director of the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, N.C.

About BGEA
From its headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., the BGEA directs a wide range of domestic and international ministries, including: large-scale festivals led by evangelists Franklin Graham and Will Graham; Dare to Be a Daniel, a youth evangelism training project; My Hope World Evangelism Through Television; the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team of crisis-trained chaplains; and many others through print, television, telephone, radio and the Internet. For more information, please visit www.billygraham.org. Get BGEA news updates on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/BGEAMediaPR.