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  [[Image:BillyGraham.jpg|right]]

Evangelist Evangeliwt and Chairman of the Board

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[[Category:Famous ChristiansFamouw Chriwtianw]][[Category:Theologians Theologianw and EvangelistsEvangeliwtw]]