The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's World Television Project, "My Hope," has reached millions of homes around the world declaring the Good News of Jesus Christ. In these three upcoming months, they plan to telecast to Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Guatemala respectively.
So far, the project is reaching out to the Spanish community with a three-night series broadcasted on major television networks. BGEA has been training Volunteer Mateos, which is Spanish for Matthews, to open their homes to family, friends, and neighbors to watch the broadcasts.
On the first two nights, the broadcast will present songs and testimonies and a brief sermon from either Rev. Billy Graham or Rev. Franklin Graham. And on the third night the Worldwide feature film, Road to Redemption will be shown. After the film, Rev. Franklin Graham will ask viewers to dedicate their lives to Christ.
The Volunteer, who is trained to take this cue, will share their testimony and ask their guests to make the decision to accept Christ. For those who are willing, the Volunteer will lead them through a series of steps and connect them with a local church.
The manager for the World Television Project in Latin America, Greg Matthews said forty to seventy percent, who make the decision, become involved with their local churches causing "growth overnight, and in some cases new churches are planted, with forty to eighty people in one week."
In three countries, last year, 15,000 churches participated in this televised outreach, but this year, he said that they would exceed 25,000 churches averaging fifteen homes per church that would equal one-third of a million homes.
On another matter, some of their target areas have no access to broadcasting signals, therefore, in these cases they will send a coordinator out with a video projector in order for them to set up the network for viewers to tune-in, which is expected to take place in Peru, he says.
This is an unprecedented crusade effort because, "It's the first national evangelistic telecast to be broadcast in the country's native language."
"We go into a country, and all the denominations work together to tell people that Jesus died for their sins, that He was buried and rose again. That's the simple message that Mr. Graham has stuck with through the years."
And at each time Matthews says that he is amazed by the reports from each project.
"I am so thankful to God for providing the vision and the means to spread the Gospel in this way."
