Program highlights impact of outreach events through eyes of local teens; Also, updates from Festival of Hope in Haiti

Contact: Brent Rinehart, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 704-401-2119, brinehart@bgea.org

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 28, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- The next television special from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), which begins airing Jan. 30 online and on national Christian networks, recaps Rock the River Tour West, a youth-focused concert tour that made stops across Western Canada in 2010.

Viewers will see the impact of Rock the River, all-day events featuring music from popular Christian bands and Gospel messages from evangelist Franklin Graham. Hundreds of young people made a commitment to Christ through the events, and viewers will hear first-hand testimonies from teens whose lives were forever changed. The Tour stopped in Fraser Valley, Calgary and Edmonton.

"We have come for Rock the River to preach and proclaim the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is what the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is all about," says Franklin Graham in the program. "It's about going in the world, helping people who are hurting, bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to cities like Calgary -- giving men and women the opportunity to give their lives to Christ."

"The fact that [BGEA] can provide this kind of opportunity to my age group is absolutely awesome," says teenager Morgan Lock. Lock served as a peer counselor at Rock the River in Calgary. "It gives me hope that we might be able to turn my generation around."

The program also includes an update from Haiti, where BGEA held a Festival of Hope in early January. Attendance over the two-day Festival was 80,000, with more than 3,200 making a commitment to Jesus Christ. Visit www.billygraham.tv for more information or to watch the latest program online.

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 evangelism 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, offering the hope of Jesus Christ in the midst of tragedy; and many others. Visit www.billygraham.org. Get BGEA news updates on Twitter at Twitter.com/BGEAMediaPR.