 Graham, Billy
Evangelist Billy Graham has preached the Gospel to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history and has reached hundreds of millions more through television, video, film, and webcasts.
Born November 7, 1918, Billy Graham was reared on a dairy farm in Charlotte, NC. In the fall of 1934, he made a personal commitment to Christ through the ministry of Mordecai Ham, a traveling evangelist. Ordained in 1939, Billy attended Florida Bible Institute (now Trinity College in Florida). In 1943 he graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois and married fellow student Ruth McCue Bell. After graduating from college, he pastored the First Baptist Church in Western Springs, Illinois before joining Youth for Christ.
In 1950, he founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). Of the 27 books he has authored, many have become top sellers. Billy has received numerous recognitions, awards, and honorary doctorates. In December 2001 he was presented with an honorary knighthood, Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE), for his international contribution to civic and religious life over 60 years.
Billy Graham has three daughters, two sons, 19 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren. He lives in the mountains of western North Carolina. |
