Billy Graham to Revive His Mission to Moscow

In a gray building tucked behind a Moscow thoroughfare, the scene looks like a political campaign headquarters in the West.


About 100 people are answering phones, stuffing press packets, unloading boxes of materials and inputting data on computers. There is an air of excitement as the staff wind up their efforts to win over would-be supporters before their leader arrives in town.


Above the building's entrance, a small sign states, "Vozrozhdeniye '92", which means "revival" and explains the reason for the frenzy inside: The world's best known evangelist, Billy Graham, is coming to Moscow Wednesday.


Though Graham has visited Moscow several times, his appearances at Olympic Stadium Oct. 23, 24 and 25 mark his first ministry to mass audiences in the former Soviet Union. When Graham initially visited Russia in the early 1980s, religion was strictly monitored and his appearances were controlled and orchestrated.


"The stadium seats 40, 000 people, and we expect it will be full all three nights", said Viktor Hamm, the mission's church life director who is helping coordinate the campaign.


"No one has filled Olympic Stadium yet, except maybe Pink Floyd", Hamm added.


The Russian Orthodox Church invited Graham to come because he has the credibility and experience to impart a message of hope that will help sustain the churches and the people during the hard times to come, Hamm said.


"We're at a historical crossroads here. Billy Graham is a master at bringing the old and the new together. He's a man of today who relates to people", Hamm said.


Unlike some evangelists "who parachute in here, do a show and leave", Graham and his organization are committed to establishing lasting ties, he said.


To that end, the group has been working with 150 churches in the Moscow region and 3, 000 across the former Soviet Union.


The huge movement has involved 5, 000 people from 80 cities.


"They are people who are committed to renewal and to new morals and that will benefit the country", he said.


It all started about a year ago when the initial team arrived to prepare the way for Graham's appearance, Hamm said. "They visited the churches, they listened to society's aches and pains, and set up food kitchens", he said.


The staff -- composed of about 80 percent Russians plus experts from America, Belgium, Britain, Canada and Finland -- has grown steadily and expanded its efforts to pack Olympic stadium all three nights.


Logistics workers have chartered 12 trains from all regions of the former empire and 100 buses in Moscow to transport believers, free of charge, to the stadium, Hamm said.


The mission's communications staff has been cranking out press materials and has launched several radio and television programs.


Outreach staff helped set up courses at 19 Moscow area churches to teach parishioners how to spread the word of Christianity and of Graham's visit.


The organization brought Christian emissaries to minister to several sectors of Russian society. A wheelchair-bound paralyzed American woman promoted help for the handicapped. A former American astronaut spoke to Russian soldiers, and an IBM expert met with business people and educators.


The mission also staged a circus, gospel music programs and plays for children. Last week, it brought the


London-based All Souls Anglican Chamber Orchestra to Moscow.


Hamm agreed that the year-long campaign has been "very, very costly". A financial statement will be released after Graham leaves and all the expenses are tallied, he said.


"Christians all over the world have been sending donations to support this mission", he said. "They believe it is vital to Russia at this time. and we're not selling anything. We're giving away a lot".