Aug 7, 2014 3 min read

Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, will be the featured speaker during the Festival of Hope, a three-day Christian event planned for Aug. 15-17 at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

According to Cindy Scott, president and chief executive officer of Choice Counsel Inc., and a member of the local festival planning committee, the event has been in the planning stages for two years and will be one of only three such festivals across the country this year. Scott said the festival will be the largest such gathering in Pittsburgh since Billy Graham, now 95, spoke to crowds in 1993. The elder Graham no longer travels the country with his religious message, relying on his 62-year-old son Franklin for public appearances.

No admission will be charged however, donations will be accepted at the Friday and Sunday events. Saturday night’s performance is dedicated to the youth. Seating is first come-first served.

There will be a charge for parking at various lots in the area of the center, and concession stands will be open for food purchases, Scott said. All three events will be held indoors so the weather will not be an issue. The festival will begin at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights, and at 4 p.m. Sunday. There are ample indoor public restrooms.

Scott said 48 Christian denominations are involved in the event, including the Catholic Dioceses of Pittsburgh and Greensburg. Diocese of Pittsburgh Bishop Donald Zubik will offer the opening prayer Sunday.

“It’s a great mix of Christians from all denominations, Catholic and Protestant, and they can bring friends,” Scott said. “Many people may not go to church, but will go to a concert.”

Each night will feature a different musical groups, including Kari Jobe, the City Harmonic and Tenth Ave North on Friday; Lecrae, Lacey, We as Human and Tedashii on Saturday. On Sunday, Michael W. Smith, the Charlie Daniels Band and Aaron Shust will perform.

Scott said Franklin Graham holds festivals across the world while his son Will conducts event known as Celebrations.

Each night, Scott said the festival will last from two and a half to three hours.

In addition to holding the festivals, Franklin Graham is the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and of Samaritan’s Purse, a non-denominational evangelical Christian international relief organization, both based in North Carolina. Samaritan’s Purse has been in the news lately as the organization sponsors Dr. Kent Brantly, the physician infected with the Ebola virus while working in Liberia and who is being treated at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. Nancy Writebol, a American aid worker in Liberia, is also infected with the virus and is being treated in Georgia.

Scott said the upcoming festival is the largest Christian initiative in Pittsburgh since 1993.

“We are encouraging everyone to come,” Scott said.

And, yes, she plans on attending all three days.