Will Graham Preaches Gospel to 5,500 People in Colorado, Many Turn to Jesus for Salvation

The grandson of Evangelist Billy Graham, Will Graham preached the good news to more than 5,500 people over the weekend at an emotional outreach far from the hurricane-ravaged community he left behind in North Carolina.

The 49-year-old son of Franklin Graham returned to his birthplace in Colorado – even though his heart was heavy for flood-devastated Asheville, North Carolina, where 70 people in a county of 200 lost their lives – to offer two messages of hope on separate nights.

Without power or water at his home in Asheville – but thankfully with no damage to it – Graham told a crowd gathered in northern Colorado that many of his employees, neighbors, and friends lost everything to Hurricane Helene's fury. One man Graham knows lost 10 members of his family.

"I'm thinking about my friends at home right now that don't have homes, electricity, or water. It's real emotional for me so, if you see me get my Kleenex out, I'm not sick; I'm just moved," said Graham.

Despite the heartbreaking losses in North Carolina and four neighboring states, Graham said he had been praying for Colorado prior to his arrival for what's called the Look Up tour, sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA).

"It's emotional for me because I feel like I'm back home in a sense among kindred spirits," said Graham, who was born in Longmont and lived in Estes Park with his parents.

I’m in awe of what God did during the #LookUpNoCo Celebration in Loveland, Colorado, this weekend as 5,500 people gathered for the two-day outreach! It was amazing to see people of all ages respond to the Good News of Jesus Christ. I give God all the honor and praise! pic.twitter.com/yyMVgs8myv

— Will Graham (@WillGraham_4) October 7, 2024

From his birth in Colorado and to ministry from North Carolina, Graham has gone on to share the hope of Jesus with more than 1 million people across six continents since 2002.

Graham's middle daughter Rachel Austin joined her father and grandmother Jane at the northern Colorado Look Up celebration. A student teacher at a school that's closed indefinitely, Rachel (Graham) Austin traveled with her father to Colorado, where she saw for the first time his birthplace and childhood home.

Will Graham shared a sobering message of warning - coupled with the great hope of the gospel – to the large crowd gathered inside the Blue Arena, and to thousands more watching online from around the world.

"I've told you we've been through this hurricane, and because of it, there are a lot of warning signs, like do not cross bridge due to the flood; watch out for downed power lines; beware of flash flooding; and seek higher ground in the event of floodwaters," Graham said.

An airplane pilot, Graham is familiar with cockpit warnings about fuel and oil levels and other signals related to an engine's performance. "You have to react to the warnings that you're given, maybe even landing the airplane quickly," he said.

The Bible warns of dangers for living in wrong ways and highlights the rewards of righteousness, Graham pointed out. He said the Bible gives a specific warning in the New Testament Book of Jude.

"In verse 11, the writer records 'Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain.' We see there are two ways in life - the way of Cain and the way of Able. Cain believed he could come to God in his own way with fruits and vegetables, not by offering a blood sacrifice," Graham said.
He pointed out that many people – sadly some of those who died because of Helene's furious aftermath – try to please God in their own way by going to church, a crusade, or through good deeds, rather than coming to God through His son Jesus Christ.

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"They never thought that night of the hurricane was going to be their last. We're never guaranteed tomorrow. That's why this decision is so important now. This storm helped me realize that fact," Graham said before he invited hundreds of people forward to publicly declare their faith in Jesus Christ. 

Standing before the platform and completely filling aisles to it, young and old listened to Graham share the significance of their decision to follow the Lord Jesus. He then prayed for the crowd and offered people a Bible workbook for their new spiritual journey.

In leading up to the October 5-6 Look Up event, 700 women gathered at an event featuring Will Graham's wife, Kendra Graham. That combined with 150 churches uniting in support of Look Up, their members praying for lost souls, and 500 volunteers signing up for prayer counseling demonstrates spiritual hunger in Colorado, according to Steve Rhoads, director of the event.

In August, more than 100 pastors also gathered for prayer and encouragement in advance of Look Up. The outreach, hosted by the BGEA, provided training in personal evangelism and opportunities to invite family, friends and neighbors to Look Up.

Pastor John Rotharmel of Lighthouse Community Church in LaSalle attended the pastors conference in August. He said Lighthouse members – many of whom received specialized training in prayer counseling by the BGEA – were "all in."

"We're big believers in Billy Graham's ministry," Rotharmel told the BGEA. "It's about Kingdom building, not ministry building," the Assemblies of God pastor said. 

"I'm 100 percent about standing beside our Presbyterian brothers, our Baptist brothers. It's all about Jesus Christ," Rotharmel added.

A prayer leader in Colorado, Brad Tuttle and his wife, drove through northern Colorado neighborhoods in the weeks leading up to Look Up, placing yard signs for the hope-filled music and gospel celebration.

The morning before the event, Tuttle and his wife Juneal "prayer-walked" the venue, calling out to God for an abundant harvest of souls and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They also prayed for churches to bring busloads of young adults, teenagers and children to hear the gospel.
"We both felt a strong anointing as we prayer-walked the grounds. Jesus is calling the lost to Himself," Tuttle said.

Since the Feast of Trumpets coincided Graham's visit, Tuttle called people with shofars to blow them near the arena as a type of victorious spiritual warfare.

A woman who attends a church that locked arms with the BGEA said serving at Look Up was another way for her to give to ministries that are a blessing to people around the world.

"I watched Billy Graham crusades on television," she said, adding the simple preaching of the gospel was instrumental in her decision as a lifelong Catholic to deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ.  

A nurse by training and former missionary, the woman also gives financially and prayerfully to Samaritan's Purse, which is providing mercy ministry and disaster relief to survivors of Helene. The ministry, directed by Franklin Graham, is international in its reach to desperate people, offering them compassion in Jesus' name.

Look Up also features worship leader Michael W. Smith and contemporary Christian music artists Rend Collective, Aaron Shust and Christine D'Clario. The next Look Up Celebration is scheduled for March 22, 2025 at Fountain Park in Fountain Hills, Arizona.