Last weekend, the eyes of Christians from all over the world turned to the great evangelist Billy Graham’s last crusade in New York. At the same time in Europe, another inspiring evangelistic event - Luis Palau’s Festival - was held in Madrid, Spain, and revived some 85,000 souls as the new Gospel Army in Western Europe.

Running from 24th-25th June, FestiMadrid 2005 was supported by hundreds of local churches and thousands of volunteers. It was described by Spain’s church community as the largest evangelistic gathering in the history of the country, according to a press release from the Luis Palau Association.

Over 85,000 people jammed Madrid’s landmark Plaza de las Ventas esplanade to hear great music and Good News in Spanish-language from Luis Palau and some of the Spanish-speaking world’s top musical artists.

Luis Palau, an author and Christian communicator from Argentina, was known for his powerful evangelistic festivals across the world since 1999. His radio broadcasts are heard daily on over 2100 radio stations in 48 countries. He has reached out to 20 million people face-to-face in 70 countries through festivals so far. In October, he will present a festival to the National Mall in Washington D.C.

Spain is a predominately Catholic country with a small percentage of evangelicals. It has also been threatened by widespread secularisation in Europe, which can be observed from the increasing liberal government policy on abortion, same-sex marriages and among others. Palau’s Gospel messages have been well received by the large crowds last weekend with the extensive coverage of the local and national media, bringing a new hope to the nation.

"This part of the world needs so much to hear a message of hope, not of religion," Palau told a press conference prior to the festival. "Jesus did not come to make us religious, but to bring us God’s love."

"Spain may be the spiritual doorway to bringing the message of God’s love back to Western Europe," said Palau. "Old barriers to faith have been broken down this week, and thousands of Spaniards now have a new or renewed relationship with Jesus Christ."

Top musical artists from Europe and Latin America appeared on the massive stage during two nights of music and celebration. Jose Luis Rodriguez ("El Puma"), Mexican actress and singer Yuri, Asiria (wife of soccer superstar Pele), and beloved Spanish singer Rocio Jurado were among the stars who performed, many taking time from their performances to share their faith with the audience.