This week in Christian history: Luis Palau NYC event draws 60,000, Thomas More executed

Luis Palau draws 60,000 people at New York City event – July 11, 2015

This week marks the anniversary of when famed Latin American evangelist Luis Palau held a gathering at Central Park in New York City, drawing around 60,000 people — the legal limit for a gathering at the park.

Known as CityFest, the event featured a sermon from the then 80-year-old Palau, as well as music from contemporary Christian singers Matt Redman, Mandisa, Hezekiah Walker, Marcos Witt and Chris Tomlin.

Palau organized the event with the assistance of around 1,700 local congregations, about half of which were predominantly Hispanic. He also lived in the city for a couple of months as part of the preparations.

Then-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio made an appearance on stage during the gathering and was prayed over by Palau and a few other pastors.

“The world thinks, and I used to think, that New York is all secular,” Palau told The New York Times in advance of the event. “There’s a hunger and a desire to talk about spiritual things, which surprised me about New York.”