Contact: Erik Ogren, 704-401-2117, eogren@bgea.org 
  
CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 23, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- Crisis-trained chaplains with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team are deploying to Manchester, England, following last night's terror attack at an Ariana Grande concert. The latest report indicates that 22 people died in the blast, which was carried out by a suicide bomber.

Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains from the United Kingdom and United States will offer emotional and spiritual care to those affected.

"We're heartbroken for the families that lost loved ones, and the many more who will carry the physical and emotional scars of this attack for the rest of their lives. The fact that many of the victims were young people adds to the grief of an already incomprehensible tragedy," said Jack Munday, international director of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team. "Please join us in prayer: for the families, for the wounded, and for the many first responders who are working in the midst of so much suffering."

Nigel Fawcett-Jones, who helps to guide the efforts of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team in the United Kingdom, is in the area, and shared, "Often at times like this, we have a ministry of presence, just being with people, letting them know we're standing with them and supporting them."

Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, appealed for prayer on his Facebook page: "Pray for Manchester. Our hearts go out to the families of at least 22 confirmed dead and the more than 50 people injured by this horrific act of terror. I'm sure we don't know all the details yet, but we know they need our prayers."

This marks the seventh terror-related deployment to Europe in recent years. The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team previously dispatched chaplains to Paris, France (2015); Brussels, Belgium; Nice, France; Munich and Berlin, Germany (2016); and London, England (2017).

For more information on the ministry, including videos, photos, news articles and an interactive map of former and current deployments, visit www.billygraham.org/rrt. Updates can also be found at www.facebook.com/RRTChaplains.

About the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team:
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team was developed by Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It has since grown into a nationwide network of chaplains in 48 states who are specifically trained to deal with crisis situations. They have deployed to approximately 250 disaster sites, including shootings, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes.