Calling All Nations was birthed out of a desire to see sports arenas around the world filled with worship. The first big event featuring the UK members of the CAN team, took place at London's Wembley Stadium on June 28th 1997. 45,000 people gathered in that venue to worship Jesus Christ, The Champion of the World. Following this, a prophetic word encouraged the team to look towards staging similar events in Berlin, Budapest and Barcelona.

The event in Berlin's Olympic Stadium took place on July 15th 2006 when around 25,000 people gatherered from more than 40 different nations and a global TV audience of up to 100 million watched at home.

Budapest and Barcelona have not been forgotten. We are waiting for the clear sense of God's timing for these future gatherings. In the meantime, we support and encourage those who are organising stadium/arena events throughout Europe and beyond.

Below is the vision for our day at Berlin in 2006. We pray you will be inspired as you read......

The stadiums of this world are not just for sporting events. They are the places where the church can gather in tens of thousands to lift high the name of Jesus Christ. I am thrilled that after many years of planning, we are now on course to see the Olympic Stadium Berlin, filled with the sound of God's people worshipping, praying and dedicating themselves to mission.


I believe that on July 15th 2006, Calling All Nations will be a truly historic gathering. We are calling the youth of the world and the young at heart to come and worship in this great and strategic city of Berlin. Never before have so many people from all over the world gathered together like this. Never before have such a global team of worship leaders and musicians come together to serve in this way. This will be a unique event and I encourage you not to miss it.

On July 9th, the football champions will be crowned when the World Cup Final takes place at the stadium. But just six days later, in that same place, we will be declaring that there is only one champion, only one King and his name is Jesus Christ!


My prayer is that everyone who comes to this event will have a life changing encounter with Him and go out from there to play their part in reaching this generation with the Gospel.


Looking forward to seeing you in Berlin.
Noel Richards

The Vision

They came to Wembley Stadium from all across Britain, Europe and the World, and as almost 45,000 people sang, danced and worshipped Jesus Christ, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, the temple of English football was transformed into a temple of worship. Wembley photos.

Each generation has moments that will live with them forever. For all those present this was such a moment. Saturday, 28th June 1997 saw the biggest ever-Christian worship event in the UK take place at Wembley Stadium, London

But there was more to Champion than just one day. The event was the fruit of an eleven year journey. Shortly before the Wembley Stadium Event in 1997 some friends of Noel Richards were asking God - where do we go from here? They felt, along with a lot of other people that Wembley was the beginning of a journey and not the end. These friends felt God put three stadiums in their heart. They were, the Peoples Stadium (Nepstadion) in Budapest, Hungary, the Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona - which must be the biggest stadium in Europe, 120,000 people - and the Olympic stadium in Berlin.

Berlin caught the imagination of Noel and his team. A few days later Noel was reading a book called The Football Grounds of Europe. It described a bell that was used to signal the start of the Olympic Games held there in 1936. “On the south concourse stands the stadium’s original bell. This 16.5 ton monster was cast in Bochum in 1935 and transported in triumphal procession to Berlin, where atop the bell tower it signalled the start and finish of the Games.

When unearthed from the bombed ruins of the Maifeld (adjacent to the stadium) - as late as 1956 - the bell was found, fittingly, to have a deep crack through the swastika on it’s rim, where is etched the motto, I summon the youth of the world.

When Noel read these words, it was like an explosion inside him and he thought, wouldn´t it be wonderful to gather the youth of the world and the young at heart for a completely different purpose - to worship Jesus the Champion of the world, to pray for revival, to call the people to get right with God and to receive a fresh commission to take the gospel to every nation.

The last nine years have been an amazing journey. Noel has travelled to more than 30 nations and every continent, sharing the vision for a 'global gathering' of worship in Berlin.

We thought we would be able to organise this for 2001 - but then it was decided that the stadium should be renovated. So plans had to be changed.

During 2003, a date was formally agreed with the stadium for June 2005. Everything moved up a gear. Noel released an album in 2004 entitled 'Road to Berlin'. However in November 2004, difficulties with the contract meant that the event had to be postponed and a new date found.

During this time, the German advisers felt that the only way the event could happen was if they took on the responsibility for the whole event and worked in support of Noel and his team from the UK. Thus a wonderful partnership between the UK and Germany was formalised.

Gerhard Kehl was appointed to run the event and secure contracts with the stadium.

Eventually, the stadium offered us the ideal date - 15th July 2006 - just six days after the World Cup Final. Contracts were signed and in April 2005, the planning began in earnest.

The fruit of this partnership between the two nations is July 15th at the Olympic Stadium, where the end of this journey is reached. (Photo - on the day when the contract was signed)

This will be the day when dreams are born, fresh vision comes, hope is renewed and a generation makes a promise to serve the King and His kingdom.