Praise Report
Fifty-two years after renowned evangelist Luis Palau’s first major campaign in the heart of Colombia’s capital city of Bogotá, the Palau Association returned once again to deliver the same message of hope to a new generation of Colombians.
This region-wide effort, led by Luis’ son Andrew, brought together more than 850 churches and trained more than 12,000 local followers of Christ – all focused on a week-long campaign to saturate the city and surrounding region with the Gospel. Included in the effort were outreaches for business and civic leaders, women, and prisoners.
Watch the highlight videos and read the reports from the exciting week's activities.
To learn more about the historical campaign and the significance, visit www.palau.org/bogota.
What a finale! 12,700 decisions for Jesus on final night
Sunday, August 19 | What a way to end our time in Bogota! What a finale!
Tonight we were at Parque el Tunal – a massive park in the southern part of the city. And the crowd came out in droves.
Some of the numbers are still being tallied and confirmed, but one number we do know . . . more than 12,700 people made public confessions of faith in Jesus Christ tonight at the festival!
Isn’t that amazing?! Andrew preached the Good News, and on the abundant life (John 10:10). In addition to the tens of thousands of people who we reached in person through the Good News with the festival and surrounding affinity events, the online broadcast of the 3-day festival had more than 410,000 views worldwide!
Additionally, the children’s festival this afternoon – which was live broadcast via Facebook and our website – reached tens of thousands of children and their families with the Gospel.
In many ways, it was a perfect day. Just blue skies. Massive crowds. And the clear Gospel message proclaimed.
Watch the children's festival from earlier in the day:
Over 3,800 decisions for Christ on second night of festival
Saturday, August 18 | There is so much to celebrate! It was another fantastic night at the Plaza de Bolívar in Bogotá. The crowd was much larger than the night before, and the response to the Gospel was more than double!
Here are a few stats from the night:
30,000 people in attendance
61,700 online viewers
3,805 confessions of faith
Praise the Lord! There was so much joy and excitement through the crowd. Once again, Andrew shared the clear Gospel message and the masses responded in a powerful way. Friends of the Festival were scrambling all over the square to try and get to the thousands of individuals who raised their hands in a commitment to Jesus Christ.
Watch the Saturday night festival here:
More than 1,775 people make confessions of faith during first festival night
Friday, August 17 | More than 1,775 people made public confessions of faith tonight in Bogotá, Colombia! More than 1,775 people who arrived at the festival with discouragement, pain, questions, and guilt went home with new-found hope, peace, forgiveness, joy, and the assurance of salvation.
This morning they were blind. Tonight they can see. This morning they were dead in their sins. Tonight they are alive in Christ.
Faces throughout the crowd lit up as Andrew shared the Good News – it’s energizing! And think . . . this square is where it all started 52 years ago for Luis Palau.
Pat Palau shared a few words early in the program, and was welcomed with a thunderous applause. They did the same for Luis’ video greeting from Portland. Andrew shared the Good News while a quiet crowd listened carefully. It was a beautiful cross-section of the city. Young and old. Man and woman. Rich and poor. All different backgrounds and stories.
Additionally, a massive number of nearly 68,000 people watched the festival online.
Praise God for the ways he’s already been moving in Bogotá but keep praying for Saturday and Sunday. There’s much work left to be done!
Watch the Friday night festival here:
Many decisions for Jesus at morning prison outreach
Thursday, August 16 | The team had a great morning at a local prison in Bogotá. At one gathering, over 100 inmates gathered in the yard to hear Andrew's message of hope! And there were over 50 decisions for Jesus made! Moved by their decision, 5 inmates decided to get baptized so Andrew and the prison chaplain baptized them right then and there! In another wing of the prison, 20 inmates made decisions for Christ. Praise God for an exciting hope-filled outreach.
Hundreds of women gather for evangelistic breakfast
Wednesday, August 15 | As the first official outreach of the week, more than 460 women gathered for a breakfast at the Tequendama Hotel. It truly was a powerful event. A few of the musicians from the festival shared songs as well as their personal stories of faith in Jesus Christ. Wendy Palau shared her raw testimony with the group. In the end, 75 ladies indicated a decision to follow Christ. Praise God!
2,500 pastors unite in worship and prayer before festival
Tuesday, August 14 | Last night was a special time for many of the leaders from around Bogota and the nation who have work tirelessly to make this festival a reality. Nearly 2,500 people packed a local church to worship, pray, and encourage one another as they head into the busy festival week. Andrew palau shared a powerful message with the crowd.
Palau Association returns to the site of very first Luis Palau Crusade
Fifty two years after renowned evangelist Luis Palau’s first campaign, sharing the Good News with the masses in Bogotá, Colombia, the Palau Association returns to deliver a message of hope to a new generation of Colombians.
The effort, led by Luis’ son Andrew Palau, has brought together hundreds of churches and thousands of volunteers. The 2-day festival on August 17-18 will be at the same location as the original Luis Palau event in Parque de Bolívar. A matching festival will take place on August 19 at the Parque el Tunal. The Good News will be spread through music, the arts, and a message of hope.
Pray for this week's events:
Tuesday, August 14 | Dinner for Pastors and Leaders
Wednesday, August 15 | Outreach Breakfast for Women
Thursday, August 16 | Prison Outreach & Business Leader Outreach
Friday, August 17 | Festival at Plaza de Bolivar
Saturday, August 18 | Festival at Plaza de Bolivar
Sunday, August 19 | Festival at Parque el Tunel
Monday, August 20 | Next Generation Alliance Gathering
Andrew Palau will proclaim the life-changing message of Jesus Christ to thousands of individuals throughout the nation with the goal of once again shaking Colombia with the Gospel and launching the Church into a powerful new season of evangelism.
This massive, region-wide campaign has been in the works for many months. Andrew Palau, who was born in Colombia during the first campaign in 1966, has been an integral part of this campaign from the very beginning. At a pastor’s conference Andrew spoke at earlier this year, the excitement of the local church was evident when 10,000 pastors united for the Launch of this campaign.
With an ongoing vision to train up the next generation of evangelists, the NGA gathering on August 20 will unite hundreds of Colombian evangelists. The event will equip, encourage, and inspire them further in their ministries and callings. This is part of the Palau Association’s multi-year campaign to build a network of more than 10,000 younger evangelists around the globe.
The crusade in 1966 not only marked a powerful shift in the trajectory of Colombia, but also set a model for citywide impact that the Palau Association has used to reach millions of people throughout the world for more than 55 years.