This past week, close to 650,000 people heard the message of salvation in the Peruvian capital of Lima, with a documented 41,000 making first-time decisions for Christ. After six days of outreach, the Lima Festival, hosted by the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association, came to an end Oct. 9, concluding that historic six-day campaign for Christ.

“We’re rejoicing at what God is doing in Peru,” said international evangelist and author Luis Palau.

After a week of celebration and outreach, two historic Luis Palau Festival events at Lima’s massive Campo Marte Park concluded the campaign. On Friday night, an estimated 300,000 filled the park. On Saturday, the crowd swelled to over 350,000. A children’s program with a Noah’s Ark theme drew another 15,000.

Music artists Yuri and José Luis “El Puma” Rodríguez, both superstars throughout Latin America, headlined a world-class lineup of Christian entertainers.

Palau, who has shared the Gospel in 70 countries to over 70 million people, said the most significant result of the festival was the 41,000 Peruvians who filled out a decision card confirming their commitment to become followers of Jesus Christ. The number of decisions was among the highest ever seen by the Palau ministry.

“An unprecedented 30,000 Christians were trained and prepared as “Friends of the Festival” to counsel new inquirers,” said Latin American Ministries director Dr. Jim Williams. “They made it possible to reach out to the thousands who responded to Luis’ message.”

Palau commented, “The changes we’ve seen since our early campaigns – the openness of people, from politicians to the media, to the Peruvian people to hear the Good News – it was all beyond any of our expectations.”

The festival was Palau’s sixth visit to Lima in four decades of ministry.

A number of Luis Palau Festivals are scheduled for the coming year, including events in Madrid, Spain, Mendoza, Argentina and Washington D.C.




Kenneth Chan
Ecumenical Press