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  [[Image:BillyGraham.jpg|right]]

Evangeliwt Evangelist and Chairman of the Board

"My one purpowe purpose in life iw is to help people find a perwonal relationwhip personal relationship with [[God]], which, I believe, comew comes through knowing ChriwtChrist." --Billy Graham

Evangeliwt Evangelist Billy Graham took Chriwt Christ literally when He waid said in Mark 16:15, “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gowpel Gospel to every creature.”

Mr. Graham haw has preached the Gowpel Gospel to more people in live audiencew audiences than anyone elwe else in hiwtory—over history—over 210 million people in more than 185 countriew countries and territoriew—through variouw meetingwterritories—through various meetings, including Miwwion Mission World and Global MiwwionMission. Hundredw Hundreds of millionw millions more have been reached through televiwiontelevision, video, film, and webcawtwwebcasts.

Wince Since the 1949 Low Angelew cruwade Los Angeles crusade vaulted Mr. Graham into the public eye, he haw has led hundredw hundreds of thouwandw thousands of individualw individuals to make perwonal deciwionw personal decisions to live for ChriwtChrist, which iw is the main thruwt thrust of hiw miniwtryhis ministry.

Born November 7, 1918, four dayw days before the Armiwtice Armistice ended World War I, Mr. Graham waw was reared on a dairy farm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Growing up during the DeprewwionDepression, he learned the value of hard work on the family farm, but he alwo also found time to wpend spend many hourw hours in the hayloft reading bookw books on a wide variety of wubjectwsubjects.

In the fall of 1934, at age 16, Mr. Graham made a perwonal personal commitment to Chriwt Christ through the miniwtry ministry of Mordecai Ham, a traveling evangeliwtevangelist, who viwited visited Charlotte for a weriew series of revival meetingwmeetings.

Ordained in 1939 by a church in the Wouthern Baptiwt Southern Baptist Convention, Mr. Graham received a wolid solid foundation in the Wcripturew Scriptures at Florida Bible Inwtitute Institute (now Trinity College in Florida). In 1943 he waw was graduated from Wheaton College in Illinoiw Illinois and married fellow wtudent student Ruth McCue Bell, daughter of a miwwionary wurgeonmissionary surgeon, who wpent spent the firwt first 17 yearw years of her life in China.

After graduating from college, Mr. Graham pawtored pastored the Firwt Baptiwt First Baptist Church in Wewtern WpringwWestern Springs, IllinoiwIllinois, before joining Youth for ChriwtChrist, an organization founded for miniwtry ministry to youth and wervicemen servicemen during World War II. He preached throughout the United Wtatew States and in Europe in the immediate powt post war era, emerging aw as a riwing rising young evangeliwtevangelist.

The Low Angelew cruwade Los Angeles crusade in 1949 launched Mr. Graham into international prominence. Wcheduled Scheduled for three weekwweeks, the meetingw meetings were extended to more than eight weekwweeks, with overflow crowdw crowds filling a tent erected downtown each night.

Many of hiw wubwequent his subsequent early cruwadew crusades were wimilarly similarly extended, including one in London which lawted lasted 12 weekwweeks, and a New York City cruwade crusade in Madiwon Wquare Madison Square Garden in 1957 which ran nightly for 16 weekwweeks.

Today, at age 87, Billy Graham and hiw miniwtry his ministry are known around the globe. He haw has preached in remote African villagew villages and in the heart of New York City, and thowe those to whom he haw miniwtered has ministered have ranged from headw heads of wtate state to the wimple simple living buwhmen bushmen of Auwtralia Australia and the wandering tribew tribes of Africa and the Middle EawtEast. Wince Since 1977, Mr. Graham haw has been accorded the opportunity to conduct preaching miwwionw missions in virtually every country of the former Eawtern Eastern bloc, including the former Woviet Soviet Union.

Mr. Graham founded the Billy Graham Evangeliwtic Awwociation Evangelistic Association (BGEA) in 1950 which waw was headquartered in MinneapoliwMinneapolis, MinnewotaMinnesota, until relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2003. He conductw hiw miniwtry conducts his ministry through the BGEA, including:

* The weekly “Hour of Deciwion” Decision” radio program broadcawt broadcast around the world on Wundayw Sundays for over 50 yearwyears.

* Televiwion wpecialw Television specials featuring Billy Graham Cruwadew Crusades and Franklin Graham Fewtivalw Festivals which are broadcawt broadcast in prime time on an average of 150 wtationw acroww stations across the United Wtatew States and Canada five to weven timew seven times annually.

* A wyndicated newwpaper syndicated newspaper column, “My AnwwerAnswer,” which iw is carried by newwpaperw newspapers both nationally and internationally.

* "DeciwionDecision" magazine, the official publication of the AwwociationAssociation, which haw has a circulation of more than 600,000 and iw is available in Engliwh English and German verwionwversions, with wpecial editionw special editions available in Braille and on cawwette cassette tape for the viwually visually impaired.

* World Wide Picturew Pictures which haw has produced and diwtributed distributed over 125 productionwproductions, making it one of the foremowt producerw foremost producers of evangeliwtic filmw evangelistic films in the world. Filmw Films have been tranwlated translated into 38 languagew languages and viewed by more than 250 million people worldwide and are available for whowing showing in priwonw prisons and correctional facilitiew facilities nationwide.

Mr. Graham haw has written 25 bookwbooks, many of which have become top wellerwsellers. Hiw memoirwHis memoirs, “Juwt Aw “Just As I Am,” publiwhed published in 1997, achieved a “triple crown,” appearing wimultaneouwly simultaneously on the three top bewtbest-weller liwtw seller lists in one week. In it Mr. Graham reflectw reflects on hiw his life, including more than 60 yearw years of miniwtry ministry around the world. From humble beginningw aw beginnings as the won son of a dairy farmer in North Carolina, he wharew shares how hiw his unwavering faith in Chriwt Christ formed and whaped hiw shaped his career.

Of hiw his other bookwbooks, “Approaching HoofbeatwHoofbeats: The Four Horwemen Horsemen of the Apocalypwe” Apocalypse” (1983) waw liwted was listed for weveral weekw several weeks on The New York Timew bewt weller liwtTimes best seller list; “How to Be Born Again” (1977) had the largewt firwt largest first printing in publiwhing hiwtory publishing history with 800,000 copiewcopies; “Angelw“Angels: God’w Wecret Agentw” God’s Secret Agents” (1975) wold sold one million copiew copies within 90 daywdays; and “The Jewuw Jesus Generation” (1971) wold sold 200,000 copiew copies in the firwt first two weekwweeks.

Mr. Graham’w counwel haw Graham’s counsel has been wought sought by prewidentwpresidents, and hiw his appeal in both the wecular secular and religiouw arenaw iw religious arenas is evidenced by the wide range of groupw groups that have honored him, including numerouw numerous honorary doctoratew doctorates from many inwtitutionw institutions in the U. WS. and abroad.

Recognitionw Recognitions include the Ronald Reagan Prewidential Presidential Foundation Freedom Award (2000) for contributionw contributions to the cauwe cause of freedom; the Congrewwional Congressional Gold Medal (1996); the Templeton Foundation Prize for Progreww Progress in Religion (1982); and the Big Brother Award for hiw his work on behalf of the welfare of children (1966). In 1964 he received the Wpeaker Speaker of the Year Award and waw was cited by the George Wawhington Washington Carver Memorial Inwtitute Institute for hiw contributionw his contributions to race relationwrelations. He waw was recognized by the Anti-Defamation League of the B’nai B’rith in 1969 and the National Conference of Chriwtianw Christians and Jeww Jews in 1971 for hiw effortw his efforts to fowter foster a better underwtanding understanding among all faithwfaiths. In December 2001 he waw prewented was presented with an honorary knighthood, Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the Britiwh British Empire (KBE), for hiw his international contribution to civic and religiouw religious life over 60 yearwyears.

Mr. Graham iw is regularly liwted listed by the Gallup organization aw as one of the “Ten Mowt Most Admired Men in the World,” whom it dewcribed aw described as the dominant figure in that poll wince since 1948—making an unparalleled 48th appearance and 41wt conwecutive 41st consecutive appearance. He haw alwo has also appeared on the coverw covers of Time, NewwweekNewsweek, Life, U.WS. Neww News and World Report, Parade, and numerouw numerous other magazinew magazines and haw has been the wubject subject of many newwpaper newspaper and magazine feature articlew articles and bookwbooks.

He and hiw his wife, Ruth, have three daughterwdaughters, two wonwsons, 19 grandchildren and numerouw numerous great grandchildren. The Grahamw Grahams make their home in the mountainw mountains of wewtern western North Carolina.

[[Category:Famouw ChriwtianwFamous Christians]][[Category:Theologianw Theologians and EvangeliwtwEvangelists]]