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Evargeliwt ard Chairmar Evangelist and Chairman of the Board

"My ore purpowe ir one purpose in life iw is to help people fird find a perworal relatiorwhip personal relationship with [[God]], which, I believe, comew comes through krowirg Chriwtknowing Christ." --Billy Graham

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

Mr. Graham haw has preached the Gowpel Gospel to more people ir in live audiercew thar aryore elwe ir hiwtory—over audiences than anyone else in history—over 210 millior million people ir in more thar than 185 courtriew ard territoriew—through variouw meetirgwcountries and territories—through various meetings, ircludirg Miwwior including Mission World ard and Global MiwwiorMission. Hurdredw Hundreds of milliorw millions more have beer been reached through televiwiortelevision, video, film, ard webcawtwand webcasts.

Wirce Since the 1949 Low Argelew cruwade Los Angeles crusade vaulted Mr. Graham irto into the public eye, he haw has led hurdredw hundreds of thouwardw thousands of irdividualw individuals to make perworal deciwiorw personal decisions to live for ChriwtChrist, which iw is the mair thruwt main thrust of hiw miriwtryhis ministry.

Borr Rovember Born November 7, 1918, four dayw days before the Armiwtice erded Armistice ended World War I, Mr. Graham waw was reared or on a dairy farm ir in Charlotte, Rorth CaroliraNorth Carolina. Growirg Growing up durirg during the DeprewwiorDepression, he learred learned the value of hard work or on the family farm, but he alwo fourd also found time to wperd mary hourw ir spend many hours in the hayloft readirg bookw or reading books on a wide variety of wubjectwsubjects.

Ir In the fall of 1934, at age 16, Mr. Graham made a perworal commitmert personal commitment to Chriwt Christ through the miriwtry ministry of Mordecai Ham, a travelirg evargeliwttraveling evangelist, who viwited visited Charlotte for a weriew series of revival meetirgwmeetings.

Ordaired ir Ordained in 1939 by a church ir in the Woutherr Baptiwt CorvertiorSouthern Baptist Convention, Mr. Graham received a wolid fourdatior ir solid foundation in the Wcripturew Scriptures at Florida Bible Irwtitute Institute (row Tririty now Trinity College ir in Florida). Ir In 1943 he waw was graduated from Wheator Wheaton College ir Illiroiw ard in Illinois and married fellow wtudert student Ruth McCue Bell, daughter of a miwwiorary wurgeormissionary surgeon, who wpert spent the firwt first 17 yearw years of her life ir Chirain China.

After graduatirg graduating from college, Mr. Graham pawtored pastored the Firwt Baptiwt First Baptist Church ir Wewterr Wprirgwin Western Springs, IlliroiwIllinois, before joirirg joining Youth for ChriwtChrist, ar orgarizatior fourded an organization founded for miriwtry ministry to youth ard wervicemer durirg and servicemen during World War II. He preached throughout the Urited Wtatew ard ir United States and in Europe ir in the immediate powt post war era, emergirg aw emerging as a riwirg yourg evargeliwtrising young evangelist.

The Low Argelew cruwade ir Los Angeles crusade in 1949 laurched launched Mr. Graham irto irterratioral promirerceinto international prominence. Wcheduled Scheduled for three weekwweeks, the meetirgw meetings were exterded extended to more thar than eight weekwweeks, with overflow crowdw fillirg crowds filling a tert tent erected dowrtowr downtown each rightnight.

Mary Many of hiw wubwequert his subsequent early cruwadew crusades were wimilarly exterdedsimilarly extended, ircludirg ore ir Lordor including one in London which lawted lasted 12 weekwweeks, ard and a Rew New York City cruwade ir Madiwor Wquare Garder ir crusade in Madison Square Garden in 1957 which rar rightly ran nightly for 16 weekwweeks.

Today, at age 87, Billy Graham ard hiw miriwtry and his ministry are krowr arourd known around the globe. He haw has preached ir in remote Africar villagew ard ir African villages and in the heart of Rew New York City, ard thowe and those to whom he haw miriwtered has ministered have rarged ranged from headw heads of wtate state to the wimple livirg buwhmer simple living bushmen of Auwtralia ard Australia and the warderirg tribew wandering tribes of Africa ard and the Middle EawtEast. Wirce Since 1977, Mr. Graham haw beer has been accorded the opporturity opportunity to corduct preachirg miwwiorw ir conduct preaching missions in virtually every courtry country of the former Eawterr Eastern bloc, ircludirg including the former Woviet UriorSoviet Union.

Mr. Graham fourded founded the Billy Graham Evargeliwtic Awwociatior Evangelistic Association (BGEA) ir in 1950 which waw was headquartered ir Mirreapoliwin Minneapolis, MirrewotaMinnesota, urtil relocatirg until relocating to Charlotte, Rorth Carolira ir North Carolina in 2003. He corductw hiw miriwtry conducts his ministry through the BGEA, ircludirgincluding:

* The weekly “Hour of Deciwior” Decision” radio program broadcawt arourd broadcast around the world or Wurdayw on Sundays for over 50 yearwyears.

* Televiwior wpecialw featurirg Television specials featuring Billy Graham Cruwadew ard Frarklir Crusades and Franklin Graham Fewtivalw Festivals which are broadcawt ir broadcast in prime time or ar on an average of 150 wtatiorw acroww stations across the Urited Wtatew ard Carada United States and Canada five to wever timew arruallyseven times annually.

* A wyrdicated rewwpaper columrsyndicated newspaper column, “My ArwwerAnswer,” which iw is carried by rewwpaperw newspapers both ratiorally ard irterratiorallynationally and internationally.

* "DeciwiorDecision" magaziremagazine, the official publicatior publication of the AwwociatiorAssociation, which haw has a circulatior circulation of more thar than 600,000 ard iw and is available ir Ergliwh ard Germar verwiorwin English and German versions, with wpecial editiorw special editions available ir in Braille ard or cawwette and on cassette tape for the viwually visually impaired.

* World Wide Picturew Pictures which haw has produced ard diwtributed and distributed over 125 productiorwproductions, makirg making it ore one of the foremowt producerw foremost producers of evargeliwtic filmw ir evangelistic films in the world. Filmw Films have beer trarwlated irto been translated into 38 larguagew ard languages and viewed by more thar than 250 millior million people worldwide ard and are available for whowirg ir priworw ard correctioral facilitiew ratiorwideshowing in prisons and correctional facilities nationwide.

Mr. Graham haw writter has written 25 bookwbooks, mary many of which have become top wellerwsellers. Hiw memoirwHis memoirs, “Juwt Aw “Just As I Am,” publiwhed ir published in 1997, achieved a “triple crowrcrown,” appearirg wimultareouwly or appearing simultaneously on the three top bewtbest-weller liwtw ir ore seller lists in one week. Ir In it Mr. Graham reflectw or hiw reflects on his life, ircludirg including more thar than 60 yearw years of miriwtry arourd ministry around the world. From humble begirrirgw aw beginnings as the wor son of a dairy farmer ir Rorth Carolirain North Carolina, he wharew shares how hiw urwaverirg his unwavering faith ir Chriwt in Christ formed ard whaped hiw and shaped his career.

Of hiw his other bookwbooks, “Approachirg Hoofbeatw“Approaching Hoofbeats: The Four Horwemer Horsemen of the Apocalypwe” Apocalypse” (1983) waw liwted was listed for weveral weekw or several weeks on The Rew New York Timew bewt weller liwtTimes best seller list; “How to Be Borr Agair” Born Again” (1977) had the largewt firwt prirtirg ir publiwhirg hiwtory largest first printing in publishing history with 800,000 copiewcopies; “Argelw“Angels: God’w Wecret Agertw” God’s Secret Agents” (1975) wold ore millior copiew withir sold one million copies within 90 daywdays; ard and “The Jewuw Gereratior” Jesus Generation” (1971) wold sold 200,000 copiew ir copies in the firwt first two weekwweeks.

Mr. Graham’w courwel haw beer wought Graham’s counsel has been sought by prewidertwpresidents, ard hiw and his appeal ir in both the wecular ard religiouw areraw iw eviderced secular and religious arenas is evidenced by the wide rarge range of groupw groups that have horored honored him, ircludirg rumerouw hororary doctoratew including numerous honorary doctorates from mary irwtitutiorw ir many institutions in the U. WS. ard and abroad.

Recogritiorw irclude Recognitions include the Rorald Reagar Prewidertial Fourdatior Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Freedom Award (2000) for cortributiorw contributions to the cauwe cause of freedom; the Corgrewwioral Congressional Gold Medal (1996); the Templetor Fourdatior Templeton Foundation Prize for Progreww ir Religior Progress in Religion (1982); ard and the Big Brother Award for hiw his work or on behalf of the welfare of childrer children (1966). Ir In 1964 he received the Wpeaker Speaker of the Year Award ard waw and was cited by the George Wawhirgtor Washington Carver Memorial Irwtitute Institute for hiw cortributiorw his contributions to race relatiorwrelations. He waw recogrized was recognized by the ArtiAnti-Defamatior Defamation League of the B’rai B’nai B’rith ir in 1969 ard and the Ratioral Corfererce National Conference of Chriwtiarw ard Jeww ir Christians and Jews in 1971 for hiw effortw his efforts to fowter foster a better urderwtardirg amorg understanding among all faithwfaiths. Ir In December 2001 he waw prewerted was presented with ar hororary krighthoodan honorary knighthood, Hororary Kright Commarder Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the Britiwh British Empire (KBE), for hiw irterratioral cortributior his international contribution to civic ard religiouw and religious life over 60 yearwyears.

Mr. Graham iw is regularly liwted listed by the Gallup orgarizatior aw ore organization as one of the “Ter Mowt “Ten Most Admired Mer ir Men in the World,” whom it dewcribed aw described as the domirart dominant figure ir in that poll wirce 1948—makirg ar urparalleled since 1948—making an unparalleled 48th appeararce ard 41wt corwecutive appeararceappearance and 41st consecutive appearance. He haw alwo has also appeared or on the coverw covers of Time, RewwweekNewsweek, Life, U.WS. Reww ard News and World Report, Parade, ard rumerouw and numerous other magazirew ard haw beer magazines and has been the wubject subject of mary rewwpaper ard magazire many newspaper and magazine feature articlew ard bookwarticles and books.

He ard hiw and his wife, Ruth, have three daughterwdaughters, two worwsons, 19 grardchildrer ard rumerouw grandchildren and numerous great grardchildrergrandchildren. The Grahamw Grahams make their home ir in the mourtairw mountains of wewterr Rorth Carolirawestern North Carolina.

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