Excitement has been building for the Quinte Celebration of Hope with Will Graham in Belleville, Ontario, for some time. The free, three-day event happening October 4-6 will include Christian music and testimonies, children’s outreach and a Gospel message from Will Graham.
Located two hours east of Toronto, the Celebration in Belleville is expected to draw people from all around the Quinte region to the CAA Arena. Many more are expected to watch via live stream.
The Celebration is a partnership with local churches and believers, and encompasses much more than the actual weekend events. To this point, the Quinte community has held prayer gatherings, worship events, and evangelism and discipleship training. Dozens of churches have prayed and prepared for the Celebration for many months.
God’s Hand
Powell Slimmon made a promise to his mother. It turned out to be a promise he couldn’t keep, but the Belleville, Ontario, resident is doing the next best thing—supporting the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s Quinte Celebration of Hope with Will Graham.
Powell’s mother, Gladys, attended a 1955 Billy Graham Crusade in Glasgow, Scotland. When Billy Graham invited everyone to come forward and give their lives to “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15, ESV), Powell recalled the words Gladys told him: “It was like this big hand, pushing me up.”
Then, Gladys told her son how Billy Graham noticed her, took her by the hand and personally led her to Christ.
The story stayed with Powell for years. When he learned Billy’s Graham’s grandson Will Graham would lead a Celebration in the Quinte Region, he promised his mother he’d take her.
“Mom told me she was excited, and you could see her eyes sparkle as she remembered her past,” Powell explained.
Sadly, Gladys died last January at age 88. But that has spurred on Powell—who came to faith in Christ at age 42—to become involved in the Celebration, including attending the launch event in March. It was packed, with more than 650 people from over 50 churches and Christian organizations.
“Something told me to be here at the launch, and I know it’s the Holy Spirit,” Powell said. “The Celebration reaches the heart of people who may have been unaware [of their need for Christ]. It softens hearts.”
