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A Postscript on Billy Graham
By Mark D. Roberts | Friday, January 30, 2009
Part 4 of series: The Inaugural Prayers of Billy Graham
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As I wrap up this short series on the inaugural prayers of Billy Graham, I thought I might share a couple of personal stories.
In the late summer of 1963, Billy Graham preached at a crusade in Los Angeles, California. It was the third of seven Graham crusades in the greater Los Angeles area (1949; 1958; 1963; 1969 in Anaheim; 1974; 1985 in Anaheim; 2004). This crusade spanned many days, and, even though the weather was quite hot, hundreds of thousands of people flocked to hear Billy Graham. (Photo: The headline of the Los Angeles Times, September 9, 1963).
Among them was my family: my mom and dad, my grandparents, and me. I’m not sure how many nights we went to the crusade, but I do remember that we took picnic suppers, that Rev. Graham wore a raincoat after he finished preaching even though it wasn’t raining, and that after one of his sermons, I went forward to become a Christian. There I met my “counselor,” a very nice man who reminded me of Crazy Guggenheim from the Jackie Gleason Show. He used John 3:16 to help me invite Jesus into my heart. Even though I was just six years old, I meant what I prayed that night . . . and still do, forty-five years later.
Fairly recently I learned that my father, who had escorted me to the field, also gave his life to Christ that night. I had always thought that he came forward just to help me. It was special to learn that my dad became a Christian on the same field and the same night as I did.
As you can well imagine, ever since that time I’ve had a deep fondness for Billy Graham. Thus I have followed his life and ministry with interest and pride. There’s just about nobody in the world for whom I have more respect and appreciation than Billy Graham.
In 1985 I was working as the college director at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, under the leadership of Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie. “Hollywood Pres” was a wild place in those days. On Sundays in church you might see one of the leading stars in Hollywood. During the weekdays, however, the church campus was visited by hundreds of homeless people looking for food and clothing. A few of those folks were dangerous, and had threatened people who worked at the church. Thus, by 1985, the church receptionist, Daisy, sat behind bars, rather like ones you’ll find in some old post offices. I called the receptionist’s desk “Daisy’s cage.”
One afternoon I was talking to Daisy through her cage bars, when all of a sudden her eyes grew large with surprise. I heard some noise behind me, and, given the look on Daisy’s face, knew that I was about to confront some very scary homeless man. I turned around warily, ready for just about anything. There, standing three feet away from me, stood Billy Graham.
Now I was prepared to deal with some strange street person, but not my all-time hero. I opened my mouth to say something polite, but all that came out of it was: AAAAAHHHHHH! From his response to me, I expect Rev. Graham had heard that before. Without missing a beat, he said, “Hello, I’m Billy Graham. Nice to meet you, young man.” Like he needed to introduce himself! I finally gathered my wits about me and said, “Nice to meet you too, Rev. Graham!”
He explained that he was at the church for a meeting with Lloyd Ogilive as part of the planning for the 1985 crusade in Anaheim. I said that I would be honored to escort him to Dr. Ogilvie’s office, which I did. Along the way I explained that I became a Christian during his 1963 crusade, and how grateful I was for his ministry. He received this story graciously. I wondered at the time how many such stories he had heard over the years. Surely tens of thousands.
As I walked Rev. Graham to Dr. Ogilvie’s office, I noticed that he looked tired. Afterwards, I wondered how much longer he’d be able to do crusades. I figured the pace of his ministry must have been exhausting. Plus, by 1985 Billy Graham was 67 years old. As it turns out, he continued to preach at crusades for 20 more years.
I did not attend the Billy Graham crusade in Anaheim in 1985, but my father did. In fact, he worked at this crusade as a “counselor” for children. When young people came forward to receive Christ, as I had done 22 years earlier, my dad used John 3:16 to introduce them to Christ. He loved this ministry! It turned out to be the last ministry my dad ever did. Soon after the crusade his cancer worsened, and he had to pull back from his church involvement as an elder and Sunday School teacher. He died a year later. There is something wonderful about the way my dad ended his ministry, much as he had begun his relationship with Christ, on the field of a Billy Graham crusade.
I never had the opportunity to team up in ministry with Billy Graham. But I am blessed to be a partner with one of Billy Graham’s lifelong friends and fellow evangelists, Howard E. Butt, Jr. Before Howard founded Laity Lodge, he teamed up with Billy Graham in a number of evangelistic crusades. They worked together to encourage lay people in their ministry, and were close partners in the founding of Christianity Today. What a privilege to know and share life with people of such incredible faith and vision!
Topics: Praying in Jesus's Name |
10 Responses to “A Postscript on Billy Graham”
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January 30th, 2009 at 3:43 am
Dear Rev. Roberts:
Thanks for sharing this story. It was touching.
Tom
January 30th, 2009 at 7:38 am
Mark:
What a great story in so many ways.
What is fascinating is that so many different things end up being the catalyst for accepting Jesus Christ. I have seen some evangelistic movies I thought were quite frankly moronic, only to see streams of people with tears in their eyes go forward to be saved. I imagine that if I were to relate things that moved me, many people would scratch their heads in bafflement as to how THAT could be moving to anyone.
Billy Graham has been greatly used by God. I imagine that working in doctoral circles at Harvard and elsewhere, you have heard more than a few disparaging remarks about Dr. Graham. Had I been forced to make a guess, I never would have pegged you as having been a respondent at a Billy Graham crusade, much less you and your father on the same night, but that only reinforces that God is no respecter of persons, and His foolishness is wiser than the wisdom of men.
January 30th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Thanks Mark,
I remember the first time I heard Billy Graham on the radio as a very young teenager.
I did not like it at all–I don’t remember why. A few months later, I became a Christian, And then I listened to Graham with a great deal of joy. I still remember getting one of my employers, (I babysat and cleaned houses in a live-in situation) to watch him on television. My husband as a young man and after we were married sang in the choirs. I have a great deal of respect for Billy Graham and so much enjoyed reading your stories about how he touched your life with his ministry.
January 30th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Wow! Thank you for sharing this story about how you came to Christ. I especially enjoyed the part about you and your Dad going forward together at the Billy Graham crusade. Your Dad sounds like a wonderful guy, and I’m sure he’s proud of you and pleased at the way you pass on the Father’s love, just as he helped to pass it on to you.
January 30th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
I think it was 1957 when I was 7 that my Dad took my Grandmother to the Cal. State Fairgrounds in Sacramento to hear Billy Graham and I went along. I don’t remember much about it. In the late 70’s the first event at the Seattle Kingdome (now demolished) was the Billy Graham crusade and I worked as a “counselor”. We were told to come forward with the crowd and look for someone who seemed “like us” and then go up to them and talk with them. Therefore, a large percentage of those going forward are the counselors.
I have a great respect for Billy Graham–especially how he managed to convey God’s grace to everyone.
January 30th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
What a fantastic story teller/communicator you are! You are such a great pick-me-up during my daily grind type of day. Now you know what a great feeling it is to mentor your son in his understanding and walk with the Lord. I can relate to it - on a mission trip to inland Ensenada, Mexico, our church band was playing outside in a natural amphitheater with us on a hillside above them and I looked over to see my six year old son on a rock outcrop with his hands outstretched singing his heart out (not very Presbyterian). That memory will be forever etched in my mind of how I hope my son comes worship our Heavenly Father.
January 30th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Thanks for telling your conversion story, Mark. I served as a counselor at the 1963 LA Crusade and went forward every meeting to counsel folks who came forward. It was a memorable experience.
January 31st, 2009 at 9:14 am
Bill: Wow! That’s cool. I don’t think I ever knew that.
February 6th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Just caught the last few minutes of one of the 1963 LA rallies on a local station showing Billy Graham Classics. It’s good to know some more about what went on back then. (Seeing the newspaper headline gave me a smile, because it definitely looked mighty hot that day. The black and white videotape was well taken care of over the years.)
Glad you had a good experience meeting Dr. Graham. He struck me as a decent man. Reminds me of a wannabe evangelist I met behind the scenes many years ago, and his attitude was Christlike only in the way Christ railed about the all-too-human men who were following him. But this guy sure put on a good show onstage.
May 12th, 2011 at 6:21 am
Our prayers are with him. As a pschology major(skeptic) at CSUF our class went to see him speak in Anaheim California about 1985. We expected a mass manupulation show…Most of us had never been to a church before..Never heard such a plain straighforward presentation……About 1/2 the class got saved and it was a turning point for all our lives, as a number of us are social workers, and ministers, work with at risk youth etc…Blessings to you Billy…