Palau draws
Chinese-speaking
crowds in Toronto
130
Chinese churches work together
in city-wide crusade
By
Rowena Chow
Special to ChristianWeek
TORONTO–More than 400 people accepted Christ at the Greater Toronto Luis Palau Crusade held at the Metropolitan Convention Centre the first weekend in June.
Of the 12,000 mainly Chinese people who heard evangelist Palau’s passionate message, few recalled the failed attempt to hold a crusade in 1993, when 400 churches raised less than $200,000 of the $950,000 needed for a city-wide event at the Skydome.
Victor Wong, chair of the local planning committee, attributed the success of the crusade to its focus on the 330,000-strong, tight-knit Chinese community. Over half of the $110,000 budget was raised before the crusade from the 130 participating churches, and at press time, only a $17,000 deficit remained.
"We really thank God that Luis Palau said yes to our invitation," says Wong. "He doesn’t care how big the crusade is. He is passionate about the gospel."
The Toronto Chinese Evangelical Ministerial Fellowship has traditionally invited a Chinese evangelist to lead a crusade every three to four years. The fellowship extended the invitation to Palau after his two successful crusades in Hong Kong in 1987 and 1997, in an attempt to involve the English-speaking Chinese congregations.
ROWENA CHOW PHOTO
Palau preaches: Listeners respond to
Luis Palau's
invitation to accept Christ at a crusade by Toronto
Chinese churches.
