F. Graham ja Michael W. Smith Tallinnan megatapahtumassa

Viron suurin hengellinen tapahtuma, Toivon festivaali (Lootuse festival) järjestetään Tallinnassa, Saku Suurhallissa 29.-31.5.2009.


Tiedote:
TALLINN, Estonian, May 25, 2008—Joined by renowned international musical artists, Franklin Graham will bring a message of hope and encouragement to the people of Estonia May 29 – 31 at Saku Suurhall in Tallinn.



The uniqueness of this effort is the cooperation of some 350 churches of various denominations and thousands of volunteers. The Festival in Tallinn is lead by the Executive Committee headed up by Honorary Chairman Archbishop Andres Põder and Chairman Bishop Ago Lilleorg. Lutheran, Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Pentecostal and other churches are involved in distributing invitations to the Festival.



The goal of Festival is to share a message of Hope, based on historical Christian values, with the people of Estonia of all ages, nationalities, faiths, social strata and political orientations during these times of global crisis, through actions of goodwill and public concerts.



Graham describes the event as a “festival for the soul.” “Everyone is welcome,” said Graham, “I hope that anyone in Estonia who is struggling with questions about life or would like a new beginning will come to this Festival of Hope.”



The program will include a 500-voice choir, symphony orchestra, Grammy and Dove award winning artist Michael W. Smith, the world’s fastest flat picking guitarist Dennis Agajanian, Jamaican jazz pianist Huntley Brown, Estonian star Tõnis Mägi, the Tallinn Gospel Choir, Olympian Tiidrek Nurme, as well as other musicians from Estonia, Ukraine, USA, Finland and Belarus. During the three-day event Franklin Graham will present an encouraging nightly message for all ages. Tallinn Mayor Edgar Savisaar will bring greetings on the opening night. There will be a different program each night. Interpretation will be provided into Russian, English and sign languages.



A special Children’s Festival will be held at Saku Suurhall on Saturday, May 30 at 12:00.



Over 300 buses will bring people to the festival from more that 50 cities and towns of Estonia and neighboring Baltic countries. Over 18,000 seats have been reserved in advance.



During his visit to Estonia, Franklin Graham will meet with Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and Mayor of Tallinn Edgar Savisaar as well as Archbishop Andres Põder of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, Metropolitan Stephanos of the Orthodox Church of Estonia and others. A special reception will be held for some 200 church leaders from across Estonia.



Graham is president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, working in over 100 countries. The Festival of Hope in Tallinn is one of seven events Franklin Graham is hosting this year in various locations around the world. Delegations from Latvia, Finland, Lithuania and Switzerland are coming to Tallinn to invite Franklin Graham to their countries.



The Festival of Hope has a social dimension. Some 24,000 gifts for children were distributed throughout Estonia. A Soup Kitchen in Tallinn operates four days a week, feeding weekly some 800 people.



The Festival will begin each day at 18:30. All Festival programs will be open to the public and are free of charge.