It took just six weeks to put together SA’sĀ biggest ever prayer meeting. A staggering 1.7m people are expected to attend two hours of sharing by 69 year old South African evangelist Angus Buchan on a farm outside the country’s most central city of Bloemfontein. The event starts at noon tomorrow. I caught up with Buchan this afternoon while he was waiting for a plane to take him to the unprecedented event. He is convinced that the power of prayer will make tomorrow a watershed in South African history. With more than a million Christians driving a long way or catching trains and planes to join him at the 2,000 hectare site – and millions more praying in churches elsewhere in the country – there are many who believe it too. Hope springs. – Alec Hogg
How many people are you expecting to come to Bloemfontein this weekend?
Okay, 1.7 million.
Thatās extraordinary. Whatās the most youāve ever had at one of your gatherings before?
Look, weāve had 100ās of thousands of men, itās very hard to count and I donāt like using numbers because the Lord doesnāt enjoy that either but the Lord gave me a clear word, Alec, that there will be a million people. I hear from Bloemfontein, as I say, Iām standing on the airstrip and waiting for my lift thatās coming from Johannesburg, theyāre coming to fetch me. My family is already there and theyāre talking now 1.7 million, itās unbelievable. Everybody in this country, Alec, is talking about it at the moment. Every person that you canā¦ Iām not even talking about Christians. Iām talking about just everybody. Thereās just a buzz. You see our country is in such a mess, Alec, and thereās just no hope. Now, all of a sudden, the people are now seeing thereās a glimmer of hope and I think thatās what happened and theyāre literallyā¦ I mean weāve got trains coming from Cape Town, Alec. Iāve never heard of that in my life before. Last time I read about that and I study revival, was when D L Moody came to Britain in the 1800ās, but since then Iāve never heard of it. I donāt know if youāve heard about trains, trains of people going to a public meeting.
Well, Iāve never heard of 1.7 million people in South Africa gathering at one time. Why do you think thereās so little media coverage on this?
Why is there so little? I donāt think there is. I think itās quite prolific at the moment, Alec. You know what the newspaper people are like. They want to cover the story afterwards and I want them to cover the story beforehand and then afterwards Iām not too keen.
How did you spread the word?
Mainly Alec, (this is the miracle boet), you know I know about revival, itās my subject. Normally it takes about a year to two-years to prepare for an event like Kingās Park Rugby Stadium or Loftus Versveld or one of my āMighty Men Conferencesā but this has taken place in 6-weeks. Whatās happened is it hit the social media platform and I think thatās where itās at. I donāt think itās about newspapers anymore, Iām sorry to tell you that. We had something like 18 million responses in 2-weeks. Can you believe that?
Itās incredible. As your āMighty Men Programā has gathered more momentum you would have, I suppose, expected it one day to hit a million-people coming to that function. This one is a little bit different to the āMighty Men.ā
Totally different. Thereās no similarity, Iām glad you asked that question. Thereās no similarity whatsoever, Alec. This is women, children, in fact, Iām going to a āMighty Men Karoo Meetingā the following Saturday, can you believe it? So, Iām working hard pally.
Just take us back a little, if you would, where did the āMighty Menā idea come from because already youāre attracting 100ās of thousands of men to that event?
Yes, that started in 2003, when the Lord said to me, āI want you to cancel all your meetings and I want you to go home and I want you to mentor young men.ā I thought maybe 5 or 10 men, and weāve had āMighty Men Conferencesā as you know, in Yorkshire, England, Iāve had them in Brazil, Iāve had them in Nashville, Tennessee. Weāve had them all over the world, and many in Australia, especially on the West side, but this thing that is happening tomorrow is because of the tragic, drastic situation in our country. So, weāre expecting black, white, coloured, Indian, boys, girls, old people, young people ā a lot of sick people coming, Alec.
There's festive mood outside Bloemfontein as thousands from across country get ready for tomorrow's prayer meeting, led by Angus Buchan
— SAfm news (@SAfmnews) April 21, 2017
The name of the farm is called Wilde Als, which means wild aloe and itās got a medicinal value and God always speaks to me through nature because Iām a farmer, and I know that people are going to be healed in their seats tomorrow. Nobody is going to anoint them with oil and nobody is going to pray over them, we canāt with a crowd like that, but God is going to supernaturally touch them. So, weāve got people coming that are expecting some marrow transplants ā theyāve cancelled them. Weāve got kids coming that are terminally ill. Weāve got women coming that canāt have babies and I wonāt even be speaking about healing but when the Lord visits a crowd like that…Ā Can you imagine? Itās going to be like Mount Sinai with the Israelites. Itās going to beā¦ Yes, you know Iāve never seen a million people with my naked eye before. I donāt know if you have Alec, but Iāve never seen a million people and it looks like weāre going to see 1.7 million, at the moment (thatās what theyāre saying). People have been camping there since Tuesday, now this is for a 2-hour prayer meeting, can you believe it?
What are you going to tell them?
Iām going to tell them that thereās only one way and Iām going to tell them that the power of prayer, when people pray then God moves. Alec, Iām going to tell them that James 5:16 says, āThe effect of fervent prayer of a righteous man or woman avails much.āĀ Iām going to tell them that if we unite as a nation, as the people, and we call out to our living God, He will hear our prayers. He will forgive our sins and He will heal South Africa. Thatās what Iām believing for ā nothing less.
We had a miracle in the country in 1994, is this time for another miracle?
Yes, but we need a bigger one this time, Alec, that one was in comparison, youāre in the UK at the moment I believe, Alec?
Yes.
So, youāre not possibly familiar with where weāre standing right at the moment but 1994 was quite crucial but not as crucial as where we are now. Things are really bad hey, and without the Lord intervening I donāt know where it will end but the good news is, the Lord is going to intervene and itās going to happen on the 22nd April, which is tomorrow.
Itās Time Prayer Gathering Sat 22 Apr 2pm at Harvest Main Campus for those who can't attend Angus Buchan's National Day of Prayer in Bloem.
— Harvest – COTN (@harvestcotn) April 21, 2017
Angus, just going back a little in your story. You came to the consciousness of the public with āFaith like Potatoesā (the movie), was that a conscious idea to make that movie or how did it all come together?
Again, another miracle ā itās just one big miracle. I wrote a book called āFaith like Potatoesā and then Frans Cronje, you know the famous Cronje family, the cricketers?
Yes.
He came to me one day and I thought he was playing a trick. He said weāre going to make a movie one day of your story. Subsequently he did and then it became a hit. You know that to this day, and that was 10-years ago, we are still selling DVDs, is indescribable. So, tomorrow, Alec, I want to talk quickly for you because I donāt want to disappoint you because I think I can hear my plane coming. Tomorrow we are going to kick-off at 12h00, theoretically, and weāll finish at 14h00, theoretically but weāve got 600 speakers on two-thousand acres. Okay, weāve got the biggest stage, the biggest sound system we could find in South Africa, and this has all been done by faith, Alec. Thereās no tickets being sold. Thereās no collection being taken, itās for free. God told me to do it, so Iām doing it.
He did the same with āMighty Menā ā we donāt charge hey! I think thatās a big enough miracle. Weāre talking about a huge budget here, so yes, Iāve just covered your prayers, all of you South Africans in the UK ā pray for our country, pray for us, pray for me tomorrow, so that I can deliver. Iāve just got to open my mouth, I know that and the Lord will do the rest. Itās quite something. Youāve got me at a good time here, Alec.
How do you prepare for an event like this? How do you personally prepare?
Yes, I spend a week in the closet. I went into seclusion for a week and came out this morning, today. Iāve just been spending time praying, reading the Scriptures, hearing from God ā very simple. Remember the emphasis is on prayer here and weāve got a band. Itās not a Gospel concert. Iām sure if we got Bono and U2 theyād jump on the next plane if they could sing to 1.7 million people because Bono hasnāt even done that, nothing close. Thereās no big speakers, Billy Graham is not coming. Itās just the Lord. The whole thing is one massive miracle, from start to finish.
Paraphrase of Angus Buchan quote: "When men work, men work, but when men pray, God works!" (It actually begins "There is power in prayer…)
— Tim Hunter (@Tim_storyteller) April 19, 2017
Is it going to be similar to the way that you organise for the āMighty Men Conference?ā
I donāt think so. This is a first ever hey, Alec. Weāve never done this before. There is places for camping. My son, Andy, whoās also a farmer but heās a stats boffin, and heās worked out already that on Tuesday, todayās Friday, there was already 400-thousand people who were booked that were coming. So, itās unprecedented. This has happened in 6-weeks hey! Yes, itās just a God miracle and I just now that just the presence of the Lord is going to be so strong there, Alec, I might not even have to say anything. I donāt even know if Iāll be able to speak because God is going to visit His people, just like He did when Moses went up Mount Sanai, remember?
Yes.
He came down, and a cloud came down over the people, approximately 1-million people by the way. I looked it up in Exodus, 600-thousand fighting men from the age of 20 to 60, plus not counting women and children, and a few foreigners. So, I worked it out ā it was probably just over a million. So, Iāve got something I want to leave with youā¦ Isaiah 66:8, God asks a question, Alec, and maybe you can answer this one for me. God says, āCan a nation be born in a day?ā
Well, it can be reborn, weāve seen that in South Africa.
There we go.
And, Angusā¦
Can a nation be born in a day? The biggest thing for me and youāve hit the nail right on the head, thank you for answering that. I am an evangelist, for me to be able to hear a million-people praying the sinnerās prayer together, after that Iām ready to go home.
Where is home?
Home is Heaven for me.
But youāre living in South Africa, obviously.
True man, Iām a farmer man, Iām not going anywhere, Alec.
Are you still farming potatoes?
Yes, my boys are farming. Iām not farming obviously, I donāt think that I could do much more than what Iām doing at the moment, Alec. Iām on TV every single day of the week. I do 10 programs a week, thatās 40 programs a month. Iām preaching full-out. Iām doing columns for Farmerās Weekly, Landbouweekblad, Vision, Gay Play, Iām still writing books. Iāve written over 35 books, but my boys are farming. Weāre farming beef cattle, we farm timber, we farm strawberries, raspberries, kiwi-fruit, [inaudible 0:11:19.8] water. Weāre a community, weāve got a church on the farm. You know Iāve got 27 orphans that Iāve raised, so weāre very much entrenched there. Iām a Zulu man, Iām a white Zulu and I preach in it as well, but Iāll be speaking English tomorrow, only English.
Throw in a few Zulu words for us please.
Okay, youāll be watching it Alec, or youāll definitely see it, that I can assure you.
Yes, but I mean now, to our Zulu community.
Okay, Iāll explain to you after Iāve said it.
Okay.
[Language ā Zulu] Does that bring a tear to your eye?
[Language ā Zulu]
I said did that bring a tear to your eye?
It certainly did and what does it mean?
Basically, what I said is tomorrow weāre going to have a very big crusade, and weāre going to pray and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to come and to change our hearts and to give us a new South Africa. We are believing for nothing less than people to turn back to God.
Well, as they would say in the classics ā from your lips to Godās ears. Thank you for the chat, Angus, and may all go the way it should tomorrow.
Thank you so much, Alec. Itās been a joy to talk to you and I think youāve timed it very well because my lift is on its way.
Cheerio then, bye.
Bye, Alec.
