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have passed through its doors since.
Once inside, guests tour a series of four high- tech galleries focused on “The Man,” “The Mes- sage and The Ministry,” “The Mission,” and “Billy Graham’s Home- going.” Here guests travel
along with Graham on his remarkable journey of faith, as a farm boy from rural North Caro- lina is transformed into a worldwide evangelist who goes on to share the Gospel with over 200 million souls. His grandson, BGEA
Executive Vice President Will Graham, says the library is neither a me- morial nor a museum: It actually serves as a ministry dedicated to presenting the Gospel. Tour the library with
Will, as Newsmax did, and you’ll rest assured that the Graham legacy remains in good hands. Having shared
the Gospel to over 1.2 million people himself at BGEA celebration events, Will is greeted by visitors who recognize him every few steps of the way. Some ask for prayer.
When that happens, Will stops everything to bow
his head and join them before the Lord. Others’ eyes light up as they share joyful memories of how Franklin or Billy Graham changed their families’ life trajectories. A retired cop from
Detroit who participated in a festival decades ago greets him. Will warmly shakes his hand and they embrace.
A moment later, a
couple from Brazil offers a shy hello. They explain they were visiting the United States and felt compelled to see the Billy Graham Library. The wife points to
a framed picture of a packed stadium in Bra- zil. Her mother attended that Billy Graham crusade, she says. Will invites them to pose for a picture with him. The devoted son who
still spends his Fridays working on his father’s classic cars explains, “My father is more of an introvert. But my grand- daddy and I are more extroverts. I have never met a stranger ever,” he laughs.
And it all began with one man who said yes to God, then invited mil- lions to do the same.
— D.P.
again. “Just to see my kids running through
the house — it was an amazing moment,” she marvels. More than two years after the disaster, Sa-
maritan’s Purse is still hammering away, building homes so that displaced residents like Megan have a place to live. “We’re there to help people,” Graham ex-
plained. “And sometimes to help people, you have to stay a little longer than you anticipated. “You have to meet the needs of people,” he reit- erated, “and that can take time.”
Son on a Mission When Billy Graham passed away on Feb. 21, 2018, at age 99, accolades poured in from world leaders. President Donald J. Trump and Vice Presi-
dent Mike Pence attended the funeral services for the man who’d preached the Gospel to nearly 215 million souls in 185 countries and territories. The evangelical community around the world
mourned his loss — while also rejoicing that he was with Jesus and reunited with his beloved wife Ruth. Franklin Graham says several supporters ex-
pected him to make big changes in the BGEA. But he said, “‘I’m not going to make any.’ And
they were kind of shocked.” The Gospel message hadn’t changed, he said. And neither had BGEA. What has changed, however, is the world re- ceiving the message. Tony Perkins, longtime president of the pro- Christian, pro-American Family Research Coun- cil, says Graham understands the cultural battle lines in today’s America have been clearly drawn. “I asked Franklin about this one time,” Per-
kins tells Newsmax. “I said, ‘Your dad didn’t re- ally speak to these issues because he didn’t have to. ‘It was a different world,’ Franklin said. ‘We have to speak to them now.’” Perkins adds, “What I so appreciate is that I know where Franklin Graham is going to stand.
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