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Billy Graham
Closes Four Day
Crusade
With Over 200,000 Followers
Evangelist Brings The Word of God to the Valley
Photos
& Story by Jack Porter, Jr.
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Fresno
- In one of the most culturally
diverse and agriculturally plentiful regions in the nation,
the four-day Central Valley Billy Graham Crusade, ending last
night, reaped a record harvest amidst the questioning and
searching experienced by individuals throughout the country in
the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
“We are living in a different world, which will be felt in
every area of our society for years to come,” Mr. Graham
said. “We are in troubled and difficult times. We’re going
to have to rethink our lives. But in the midst of all that,
there is one hope, that Jesus Christ said he is coming again.
Without hope, our nation will not go on.”
Crusade Chair Bud Richter paralleled this outreach with that
of the nation’s war against terrorism. “Just as our
country is attacking Afghanistan, we are attacking Satan and
winning souls in the Central Valley right now,” he said.
“We believe it is God’s will that Billy Graham is here in
Fresno at this specific moment in history for our nation and
our world.”
The meetings were held at
Bulldog Stadium, home of the eighth-ranked NCAA Fresno State
Bulldogs football team. Audiences averaged more than 46,000 in
the 42,000-seat stadium each night, of which an average of
more than 3,310 came forward to make a commitment to Christ.
The Saturday evening crowd of 62,000 shattered the stadium
attendance record.
Fresno Mayor Alan
Autry welcomed Mr. Graham to the area from the platform at the
opening meeting. “We’re in one of the most difficult times
in the history of our nation, and the Gospel message has never
been more wanted or needed by this country,” Mayor Autry said,
stressing unprecedented security measures put in place by the
campus and city to ensure the safety of the crowds.
Despite breaking his foot in three places two days before the
crusade began, Mr. Graham preached while standing and seemed to
get stronger every night. His messages throughout the week
focused on God’s love and forgiveness, often referencing the
attacks on our nation and the resulting uncertainty.
“Something about what happened on Sept. 11 caused people to
think about spiritual things for maybe the first time in
years,” he said. “The greatest need in the world is the
transformation of human nature. A radical change is needed by
everyone to find complete fulfillment in this life and to be
acceptable to God in the future life.” |
More than 500 churches representing 54 denominations from
throughout the Central Valley built on a decade of unity during
the year-long preparations. According to crusade director Scott
Lenning, many of the pastors from diverse backgrounds already
knew each other. “They had a history of where they were coming
from and a vision of where they wanted to go, and this crusade
was a link between the two.”
Often referred to as “The Ellis Island of the 80s and 90s,”
the Central Valley is becoming the America of the future. More
people per capita from other cultures are migrating here, 40
percent of whom are Hispanic- or Latin-American. The Fresno
Unified School District reports enrollment of students speaking
more than 100 different languages. Crusade leadership made a
significant effort to invite and include everyone, providing
translation in eleven languages and counseling in twelve. Many
of the musical artists sang in both English and Spanish.
The Central Valley also has one of the largest prison
populations in the world, with five percent of the total U.S.
inmates housed within a 90-minute drive of Fresno. The Operation
Starting Line prison outreach conducted in conjunction with the
crusade/mission resulted in a presentation of the Gospel to more
than one-half of the 49,000 prisoners in eleven facilities, of
whom 4,460 made commitments to Christ.Over 500 area volunteers will
continue long-term ministry through 32 follow-up meetings,
including seminars, yard events, and Bible studies. A group of
two hundred juvenile offenders from local facilities attended
Saturday evening’s youth event, with 100 percent making
either a first time decision for Christ, a rededication, or a
commitment to future ministry. Two guards attending with the
teens also made faith commitments.
Prison Fellowship founder Chuck
Colson, who spoke at the Sunday evening meeting following a
prison event that morning, said that he’s seeing a new
responsiveness to the Gospel both inside and outside of prison
walls following Sept. 11. “Inmates are hungry. Inmates in
prisons are like the whole country is today. They are aware of
sin and evil and they are searching for answers.”
Through the “Bless the Children of our Valley” project,
the crusade’s Love-in-Action committee provided backpacks
filled with necessary school and hygiene supplies to meet the
physical needs of area children. Rather than working through
area shelters, churches chose to distribute more than 6,000
backpacks directly to needy families by the beginning of the
school year.
For more information on the Central Valley Billy Graham Crusade visit the
Crusade web site at www.CentralValleyCrusade.org.
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