Contact: Jay Fordice,
Luis Palau Association, 503-614-1500
SALTA, Argentina, May 9, 2014 /
Christian Newswire/ -- International evangelist Luis Palau's inaugural visit to northwest Argentina for an evangelistic campaign resulted in tens of thousands of people reached with the Good News and nearly 10,000 documented decisions for Jesus Christ.
Joined by his son and fellow evangelist, Andrew Palau, the duo were able to fan across the region, gathering churches, encouraging unity, training believers, and coordinating more than 20 evangelistic gatherings across three cities.
The capstone of the week-long campaign was a massive evangelistic festival on April 25 and 26, which drew packed crowds to Salta, the capital city of Salta Province (population 619,000). The festival, which featured both Luis and Andrew along with popular recording artists Rescate, Guitarerros, and GeneraSion, drew people of all ages and generated widespread publicity around the city -- including television interviews, newspaper stories, and radio coverage. Through longtime Palau partner Enlace Television, the festival was broadcast to more than 48 countries via live streaming video and television.
"The festival was a glorious, fruitful time exalting Christ's name and work," Luis said of the campaign. "Salta is a magnificent city. We saw a tremendous response to the Good News, and are rejoicing for all the ways God worked."
Included in the week-long campaign were private meetings with the mayor of Salta, the governor of the province, and the Salta Police Force, among others. Luis also shared the Gospel at a dinner for business people and professionals as well as at a special women's tea, which drew 1,600 women and resulted in more than 980 documented decisions for Jesus Christ.
Andrew traveled to the nearby cities of Jujuy and Tucumán, Argentina for satellite festivals before joining Luis in Salta. He also shared the Good News at a gathering in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, and encouraged other evangelists at a conference in the neighboring country of Paraguay.
"The whole region was shaken up," Andrew said of the area-wide initiative. "Top leaders in city government came to Christ. People came to Christ out of the occult. The Gospel reached across prison walls. We were part of unprecedented proclamation in the public squares and plazas of the north."
Churches in Salta began requesting a Palau festival after seeing the impact of the Luis Palau festival in Buenos Aires in 2008. For them, the campaign was a catalyst for building greater unity, and offered them a chance to show the relevance of the Body of Christ to their region.
"Salta has changed since the festival," mentioned one festival attendee. "Many people were left with a different idea of what Christians are like."
The Palau Association will now look to upcoming campaigns in Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska, along with Andrew Palau festivals in Kingston, Jamaica and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. They are also excited to be working with leaders in New York City around a long-term vision to better serve the city and proclaim the Good News through an initiative that has come to be known as NY CityServe.
About Luis Palau: Dr. Palau is considered one of the leading world evangelists of our time, having spent the last 50 years leading evangelistic campaigns in hundreds of cities and dozens of nations. He has authored close to 50 books, contributed articles on issues of faith to countless publications, and counseled business leaders, political leaders, and heads of state around the world.
For more information about the Luis Palau Association, visit www.palau.org.
