Nearly 600 churches across the United Kingdom are preparing for a large-scale evangelistic gathering in Manchester next month, where Franklin Graham is expected to preach to thousands at the Co-op Live arena.
The “God Loves You Tour” will arrive in Manchester on Oct. 3, with participating churches encouraging members to invite friends, relatives and neighbors to attend, according to organizers with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
The event will also include live music from three-time Grammy Award winner Michael W. Smith, worship artist Charity Gayle and British Christian rapper Faith Child. Admission will be free, and no advance ticket will be required.
BGEA said thousands of Christians have already reserved places on hundreds of free coaches traveling to Manchester, including one set to depart from Swansea in South Wales.
The Manchester gathering will be Graham’s ninth “God Loves You Tour” event in the U.K. since the initiative launched there in 2022, following stops in cities including London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Glasgow and Sheffield.
Graham, who serves as president and CEO of BGEA, said the Manchester event carries special meaning because of his family’s connection to the city.
“I couldn’t be more excited to preach in Manchester,” he said. “This is an incredible city, and it is a privilege to return to the place where my father preached 65 years ago.”
Graham said that while Manchester has changed considerably over the decades, “God’s Word doesn’t change.”
“In this day and age of AI and global misinformation, many are wondering what truth is and what is real,” he continued. “I want people to know that there is truth and it is found in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who is ‘the way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6). I’m looking forward to sharing this message of Good News with the people of Manchester.”
In recent years, Graham has placed greater emphasis on evangelistic outreach in Britain and across Europe, arguing that secularization and broader cultural shifts have increased the need for renewed Gospel proclamation.
Speaking to Christian Today in 2024, he said the U.K. had experienced “great cultural and demographic shifts” over several decades and stressed that each new generation must be evangelized.
At a BGEA evangelism congress in Berlin in May 2025, Graham urged Christians throughout Europe to be “unafraid” and “unashamed” in sharing the Gospel.
BGEA said about 17,000 people attended or attempted to attend Graham’s June 2025 event at ExCeL London, with many worshipping outside and hundreds inside reportedly responding to his invitation to place their faith in Christ.
