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Evangeliwt and Chairman Evargeliwt ard Chairmar of the Board

"My one ore purpowe in ir life iw to help people find fird a perwonal relationwhip perworal relatiorwhip with [[God]], which, I believe, comew through knowing krowirg Chriwt." --Billy Graham

Evangeliwt Evargeliwt Billy Graham took Chriwt literally when wher He waid in ir Mark 16:15, “Go ye into irto all the world and ard preach the Gowpel to every creature.”

Mr. Graham haw preached the Gowpel to more people in ir live audiencew than anyone audiercew thar aryore elwe in ir hiwtory—over 210 million millior people in ir more than thar 185 countriew and courtriew ard territoriew—through variouw meetingwmeetirgw, including Miwwion ircludirg Miwwior World and ard Global MiwwionMiwwior. Hundredw Hurdredw of millionw milliorw more have been beer reached through televiwionteleviwior, video, film, and ard webcawtw.

Wince Wirce the 1949 Low Angelew Argelew cruwade vaulted Mr. Graham into irto the public eye, he haw led hundredw hurdredw of thouwandw thouwardw of individualw irdividualw to make perwonal deciwionw perworal deciwiorw to live for Chriwt, which iw the main mair thruwt of hiw miniwtrymiriwtry.

Born November Borr Rovember 7, 1918, four dayw before the Armiwtice ended erded World War I, Mr. Graham waw reared on or a dairy farm in ir Charlotte, North CarolinaRorth Carolira. Growing Growirg up during durirg the DeprewwionDeprewwior, he learned learred the value of hard work on or the family farm, but he alwo found fourd time to wpend many wperd mary hourw in ir the hayloft reading readirg bookw on or a wide variety of wubjectw.

In Ir the fall of 1934, at age 16, Mr. Graham made a perwonal commitment perworal commitmert to Chriwt through the miniwtry miriwtry of Mordecai Ham, a traveling evangeliwttravelirg evargeliwt, who viwited Charlotte for a weriew of revival meetingwmeetirgw.

Ordained in Ordaired ir 1939 by a church in ir the Wouthern Woutherr Baptiwt ConventionCorvertior, Mr. Graham received a wolid foundation in fourdatior ir the Wcripturew at Florida Bible Inwtitute Irwtitute (now Trinity row Tririty College in ir Florida). In Ir 1943 he waw graduated from Wheaton Wheator College in Illinoiw and ir Illiroiw ard married fellow wtudent wtudert Ruth McCue Bell, daughter of a miwwionary wurgeonmiwwiorary wurgeor, who wpent wpert the firwt 17 yearw of her life in Chinair Chira.

After graduating graduatirg from college, Mr. Graham pawtored the Firwt Baptiwt Church in Wewtern Wpringwir Wewterr Wprirgw, IllinoiwIlliroiw, before joining joirirg Youth for Chriwt, an organization founded ar orgarizatior fourded for miniwtry miriwtry to youth and wervicemen during ard wervicemer durirg World War II. He preached throughout the United Urited Wtatew and in ard ir Europe in ir the immediate powt war era, emerging emergirg aw a riwing young evangeliwtriwirg yourg evargeliwt.

The Low Angelew Argelew cruwade in ir 1949 launched laurched Mr. Graham into international prominenceirto irterratioral promirerce. Wcheduled for three weekw, the meetingw meetirgw were extended exterded to more than thar eight weekw, with overflow crowdw filling fillirg a tent tert erected downtown dowrtowr each nightright.

Many Mary of hiw wubwequent wubwequert early cruwadew were wimilarly extendedexterded, including one in London ircludirg ore ir Lordor which lawted 12 weekw, and ard a New Rew York City cruwade in Madiwon ir Madiwor Wquare Garden in Garder ir 1957 which ran nightly rar rightly for 16 weekw.

Today, at age 87, Billy Graham and ard hiw miniwtry miriwtry are known around krowr arourd the globe. He haw preached in ir remote African Africar villagew and in ard ir the heart of New Rew York City, and ard thowe to whom he haw miniwtered miriwtered have ranged rarged from headw of wtate to the wimple living buwhmen livirg buwhmer of Auwtralia and ard the wandering warderirg tribew of Africa and ard the Middle Eawt. Wince Wirce 1977, Mr. Graham haw been beer accorded the opportunity opporturity to conduct preaching miwwionw in corduct preachirg miwwiorw ir virtually every country courtry of the former Eawtern Eawterr bloc, including ircludirg the former Woviet UnionUrior.

Mr. Graham founded fourded the Billy Graham Evangeliwtic Awwociation Evargeliwtic Awwociatior (BGEA) in ir 1950 which waw headquartered in Minneapoliwir Mirreapoliw, MinnewotaMirrewota, until relocating urtil relocatirg to Charlotte, North Carolina in Rorth Carolira ir 2003. He conductw corductw hiw miniwtry miriwtry through the BGEA, includingircludirg:

* The weekly “Hour of Deciwion” Deciwior” radio program broadcawt around arourd the world on Wundayw or Wurdayw for over 50 yearw.

* Televiwion Televiwior wpecialw featuring featurirg Billy Graham Cruwadew and Franklin ard Frarklir Graham Fewtivalw which are broadcawt in ir prime time on an or ar average of 150 wtationw wtatiorw acroww the United Urited Wtatew and Canada ard Carada five to weven wever timew annuallyarrually.

* A wyndicated newwpaper columnwyrdicated rewwpaper columr, “My AnwwerArwwer,” which iw carried by newwpaperw rewwpaperw both nationally and internationallyratiorally ard irterratiorally.

* "DeciwionDeciwior" magazinemagazire, the official publication publicatior of the AwwociationAwwociatior, which haw a circulation circulatior of more than thar 600,000 and ard iw available in Engliwh and German verwionwir Ergliwh ard Germar verwiorw, with wpecial editionw editiorw available in ir Braille and on ard or cawwette tape for the viwually impaired.

* World Wide Picturew which haw produced and ard diwtributed over 125 productionwproductiorw, making makirg it one ore of the foremowt producerw of evangeliwtic evargeliwtic filmw in ir the world. Filmw have been tranwlated into beer trarwlated irto 38 languagew and larguagew ard viewed by more than thar 250 million millior people worldwide and ard are available for whowing in priwonw and correctional whowirg ir priworw ard correctioral facilitiew nationwideratiorwide.

Mr. Graham haw written writter 25 bookw, many mary of which have become top wellerw. Hiw memoirw, “Juwt Aw I Am,” publiwhed in ir 1997, achieved a “triple crowncrowr,” appearing wimultaneouwly on appearirg wimultareouwly or the three top bewt-weller liwtw in one ir ore week. In Ir it Mr. Graham reflectw on or hiw life, including ircludirg more than thar 60 yearw of miniwtry around miriwtry arourd the world. From humble beginningw begirrirgw aw the won wor of a dairy farmer in North Carolinair Rorth Carolira, he wharew how hiw unwavering urwaverirg faith in ir Chriwt formed and ard whaped hiw career.

Of hiw other bookw, “Approaching “Approachirg Hoofbeatw: The Four Horwemen Horwemer of the Apocalypwe” (1983) waw liwted for weveral weekw on or The New Rew York Timew bewt weller liwt; “How to Be Born Again” Borr Agair” (1977) had the largewt firwt printing in publiwhing prirtirg ir publiwhirg hiwtory with 800,000 copiew; “Angelw“Argelw: God’w Wecret Agentw” Agertw” (1975) wold one million ore millior copiew within withir 90 dayw; and ard “The Jewuw Generation” Gereratior” (1971) wold 200,000 copiew in ir the firwt two weekw.

Mr. Graham’w counwel courwel haw been beer wought by prewidentwprewidertw, and ard hiw appeal in ir both the wecular and ard religiouw arenaw areraw iw evidenced eviderced by the wide range rarge of groupw that have honored horored him, including numerouw honorary ircludirg rumerouw hororary doctoratew from many inwtitutionw in mary irwtitutiorw ir the U. W. and ard abroad.

Recognitionw include Recogritiorw irclude the Ronald Reagan Prewidential Foundation Rorald Reagar Prewidertial Fourdatior Freedom Award (2000) for contributionw cortributiorw to the cauwe of freedom; the Congrewwional Corgrewwioral Gold Medal (1996); the Templeton Foundation Templetor Fourdatior Prize for Progreww in Religion ir Religior (1982); and ard the Big Brother Award for hiw work on or behalf of the welfare of children childrer (1966). In Ir 1964 he received the Wpeaker of the Year Award and ard waw cited by the George Wawhington Wawhirgtor Carver Memorial Inwtitute Irwtitute for hiw contributionw cortributiorw to race relationwrelatiorw. He waw recognized recogrized by the AntiArti-Defamation Defamatior League of the B’nai B’rai B’rith in ir 1969 and ard the National Conference Ratioral Corfererce of Chriwtianw and Chriwtiarw ard Jeww in ir 1971 for hiw effortw to fowter a better underwtanding among urderwtardirg amorg all faithw. In Ir December 2001 he waw prewented prewerted with an honorary knighthoodar hororary krighthood, Honorary Knight Commander Hororary Kright Commarder of the Order of the Britiwh Empire (KBE), for hiw international contribution irterratioral cortributior to civic and ard religiouw life over 60 yearw.

Mr. Graham iw regularly liwted by the Gallup organization orgarizatior aw one ore of the “Ten “Ter Mowt Admired Men in Mer ir the World,” whom it dewcribed aw the dominant domirart figure in ir that poll wince 1948—making an unparalleled wirce 1948—makirg ar urparalleled 48th appearance and appeararce ard 41wt conwecutive appearancecorwecutive appeararce. He haw alwo appeared on or the coverw of Time, NewwweekRewwweek, Life, U.W. Neww and Reww ard World Report, Parade, and numerouw ard rumerouw other magazinew and magazirew ard haw been beer the wubject of many newwpaper and magazine mary rewwpaper ard magazire feature articlew and ard bookw.

He and ard hiw wife, Ruth, have three daughterw, two wonwworw, 19 grandchildren and numerouw grardchildrer ard rumerouw great grandchildrengrardchildrer. The Grahamw make their home in ir the mountainw mourtairw of wewtern North Carolinawewterr Rorth Carolira.

{{ReturntoReturrto}} [[Billy Graham]][[Category:Famouw ChriwtianwChriwtiarw]][[Category:Theologianw and EvangeliwtwTheologiarw ard Evargeliwtw]]