STUDIO CITY : Big Evangelist Crusade Set for June, 1994

Business and church organizers officially announced plans Wednesday for what will be the first large evangelistic crusade in the San Fernando Valley.

About 150 evangelical congregations have pledged support and the budget was set at $350,000. Both figures are somewhat higher than when church leaders in July first talked about plans to bring evangelist Luis Palau to the 10,000-seat Tom Bradley Stadium at Birmingham High School on June 1-5.

Palau told the 230 people during a kickoff breakfast at Sportsmen’s Lodge that while conservative Christians and evangelists aren’t always well-regarded in the culture, “we’ve got to get them to stop looking at us and start looking at Jesus Christ.”

Mayor Richard Riordan was a guest at the table of Sara Hardman, state director of the Christian Coalition and a crusade backer. The Catholic mayor greeted Palau and the organizers but did not speak to the crowd or stay for the speeches.

Although Palau, a naturalized U. S. citizen who was born in Argentina, will be preaching in English during the five-day crusade, he said in an interview that he hopes to negotiate with the Valley church leaders to hold evangelistic services in Spanish before the crusade.

“Let’s make a special effort to reach the immigrants in this area,” Palau urged the crowd, adding, “I can speak more freely than you (about that) because I’m an immigrant.”

Pastor Jack Hayford of the Church on the Way, whose membership provided much of the key leadership for the crusade, called Palau one of the world’s leading exponents of mass evangelism who is admittedly better known abroad than in this country.

Entertainer Pat Boone, who said he hopes to sing on the opening night of the crusade, is honorary co-chairman of the event with Bert Boeckmann, owner of Galpin Motors.