Thousands gathered at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena to hear Franklin Graham share the Bible’s message of hope and peace.
Following the event on Saturday 3 October, the US evangelist praised God for the hundreds of people who “responded to the invitation to repent and receive Jesus Christ by faith”.
In 2020, Graham was due to tour eight UK venues but faced opposition when all of them cancelled their bookings after activists objected to his biblical stance on marriage.
Message
Graham preached: “God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, from heaven to this earth on a rescue mission to save you and me — to save humanity — from sin.”
He continued: “Jesus was nailed to the cross. He shed his blood for your sin. He was buried for your sins. And on the third day, God raised his Son from the dead.”
My father @BillyGraham preached in Manchester 65 years ago, but this was my first trip to this beautiful city. Even with all of its history, Manchester is vibrant—there are so many young people and over 90 languages spoken here. Tonight, 10,000+ people came out to @TheCoopLive to hear the Gospel. I told the crowd that we each have a date with death—we’re all going to have to stand before God. We praise Him that hundreds responded to the invitation to repent and receive Jesus Christ by faith. Thanks to all of the churches, pastors, and volunteers who made this night possible.
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) October 3, 2026
During his message, the President and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) said: “God gave sex. He wants us to use sex. He wants us to enjoy sex. But it’s to be used between a man and a woman in a marriage relationship”.
Religious liberty
In 2022, a Glasgow Sheriff Court awarded the BGEA £97,325.32 in damages after the city’s OVO Hydro shut down its evangelistic rally.
Sheriff John McCormick said: “The law cannot endorse an outcome whereby a mainstream Christian religious gathering cannot be held because some members of the community, however vehemently, disagree with religiously based beliefs to which they take objection.
“Such objectors in a democratic society undoubtedly have a right to freedom of expression and of assembly to protest against other’s religious views. What they do not have is a right to silence them or to stop religious assemblies from being held and from making welcome all who would come and hear the Good News preached by Franklin Graham at the Glasgow SSE Hydro Event.”
Prior to the ruling, the BGEA settled legal claims with several other venues that had cancelled gospel events over Franklin Graham’s mainstream Christian beliefs on sexual ethics.
‘I put the invitation online. God did the rest’: 170 baptised at Devon beach