|PIC1|Almost half a million people have so far taken part in the largest sermon in Europe to date as the meetings of ProChrist 2006, one of the largest evangelistic outreach programmes on the European continent, continue to be broadcast daily to 1,250 venues in 21 European countries.

ProChrist 2006 kicked off at the weekend in the Olympic hall in Munich, Germany, and will run on until 26 March.

On its opening night on Sunday, more than 160,000 participants watched the ProChrist programme with its main speaker, Rev. Ulrich Parzany, former general secretary of the German YMCA, although the figures are somewhat down on the 2003 campaign when 200,000 gathered in 1,304 venues on the opening night.

So far, 8,000 internet visitors from 37 countries have joined in the event online. In the first night alone 5,549 users from 27 countries watched the live video stream, with more than 5,000 downloading Parzany’s sermon.

|TOP|The event has also won the support of the German Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Ursula von der Leyen, who said associates the ProChrist with “many things that are important to me – family, young people and God,” a ProChrist press statement said.

Rev. Parzany highlighted, in the wake of the Mohammed cartoons, that even though individuals must practise religious tolerance, it does not mean all religions are equal. He went on to stress that a personal relationship with Christ remains essential.

He also told participants in the Olympic hall and around the world: “Jesus Christ satisfies our desire for healing,” adding that, “the root of our pain is separation from God”.

The Lutheran Bishop of Bavaria, Johannes Friedrich, welcomed the ProChrist campaign to Munich where one in four Bavarians are without any church affiliation.

ProChrist 2006 kicked off on March 18 with “ProChrist for Kids”, with the programme being transmitted to 4,500 children across 400 local venues.