Thousands of Christians in southeast Asian country prepared to share their faith with family and friends this week

Contact: Graham Clark, BGEA, 704-401-2116, 980-939-4377 mobile, gclark@bgea.org

CHARLOTTE, NC, Dec. 15 /Standard Newswire/ -- More than 36,000 Christians representing more than 1,700 churches across Thailand are prepared to implement My Hope, a successful outreach project of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), at the end of this week. Evangelistic meetings will be taking place in homes, churches schools and various other venues all over the country December 17-19.

"In a country where only one-half of one percent of the population belongs to a evangelical church, the need for the Gospel is tremendous," said Bill Conard, vice president of international ministries at BGEA. "But the church is ready, and we are eagerly anticipating what God will do through His people."

My Hope Thailand is an effort driven by local Christians who want their communities to know God's love in Jesus Christ. These Christians, referred to as "Matthews," (recalling the disciple who invited friends to his home to meet Jesus -- Matthew 9), will host neighbors, relatives and friends to watch a thought-provoking TV program or video, which feature sermons from Franklin and Billy Graham dubbed into the Thai language, as well as testimonies and songs from Thai Christians.

On Saturday, December 19, the program will be on television, and the other nights the programs will be viewed on DVD, 30,000 of which were distributed to Christians across the country. The programs will also be offered on nationwide radio stations.

After watching the program, the Matthews will give their own brief testimony and invite those present to accept or rededicate their lives to Jesus. All Matthews have undergone training to conduct the outreaches.

"It is no easy thing to express your faith in Christ and ask others to join you," said Conard. "We're praying that God would grant courage to these faithful believers as they reach out to their loved ones during the Christmas season."

The My Hope project is a significant part of the vision Thailand's Christian leaders have for reaching the country for Christ. In May, when the project officially began, My Hope was the focus of an evangelism conference in Thailand attended by more than 4,000 Christian leaders.

To date, My Hope has been implemented in 46 countries and has witnessed astounding responses for the Gospel. Upcoming outreaches will take place in the Dominican Republic (March 2010) and Puerto Rico (April 2010).

About BGEA
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) proclaims the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the world by every effective means available. From its headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., BGEA directs a wide range of domestic and international ministries, including: large-scale festivals led by evangelists Franklin Graham and Will Graham; Dare to Be a Daniel, a youth evangelism training project; My Hope World Evangelism Through Television; the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team of crisis-trained chaplains; and many others through print, television, telephone, radio and the Internet. For more information, please visit www.billygraham.org. Get BGEA news updates on Twitter @ www.Twitter.com/BGEAMediaPR.

PHOTOS
For photos, please e-mail Graham Clark at gclark@bgea.org.

Interview Opportunity
Bill Conard, vice president, international ministries, BGEA

B-ROLL
BGEA has a video team on the ground in Thailand, and will be capturing footage during the outreach period, December 17-19. Please e-mail Graham Clark at gclark@bgea.org to obtain b-roll.

BLOG FROM THAILAND
Follow BGEA television producer Larissa Miller as she blogs from Thailand on the My Hope project there: http://bit.ly/7nCdyo.