The evangelist will begin his ten-city tour through the Golden State on May 20. The one-day events spanning into the first week of June – called Decision America California Tour – will feature live music and a message from Graham. Steve Rhoads, a vice president with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, says as they travel up and down the state, they expect some hostility towards the gospel – but at the same time, he believes the support of the churches in those areas will be strong.

“We would always anticipate that there would be some opposition, but in a lot of ways that opposition winds up being wildly overrated,” Rhoads tells OneNewsNow. “It’s the church of Christ that winds up being the story, and that should be encouraging to all of us.”

The California tour will be the first public U.S. meetings for Graham since the death of his father, the well-known evangelist Billy Graham. Rhoads predicts Graham will speak the straightforward truth of the gospel with extra resolve.

“There’s something about that singular, clear message that Franklin will preach that cuts to the very heart of what people need, and that’s the need for hope and to be reconciled to God,” he shares. “I think Franklin has always been determined – but if there’s a sense of being even more determined, its now since his father has gone to heaven.”

In order, the communities Graham will be visiting are: Escondido, Pasadena, Oxnard, Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Santa Clara, Berkeley, Chico, and Redding. In early August, he will be touring the Pacific Northwest, speaking in seven cities in Oregon and Washington.