Personal Reflections, Billy Graham

   Like many others, I believe that Billy Graham was and is, one of the greatest personages to walk across the world stage in my lifetime. He was used by God in so many ways and in so many places, and the world and the church is so much the better for it.



   When I was subbing up in Charlotte for a few weeks, I taught a section of American History in the 20th century, using individual people living in those years to illustrate what was going on in the world, and especially in the US. Billy Graham was one of those people, and he had his headquarters and library less than 20 miles from our campus.

   The surprising thing to me was the fact that so many of the kids in that class of high school juniors, only knew of this giant of God by the fact that his hame was on one of the streets of the city that intersected with the main freeway downtown.

   I watched a documentary of Billy's life on TV last evening. The shear masses of people around the world that were challenged and brought into the Kingdom of God, through the words spoken by this man cannot be overestimated.

   His legacy will live on in the lives of children and grandchildren till the world ends one day, and then forever in Heaven.

   I have a couple of stories of my personal touch with this man and his team.

   Way back in 1953, when I was a junior in high school at McCallie, Billy Graham came to Chattanooga. He had been there in 1950 for a meeting at Engel Stadium, the baseball home of the Chattanooga Lookouts, and was coming back for a crusade in March of 1953.

   The city of Chattanooga approved the building of a field house built by private funds, which would then be turned over to the city at the end of the meetings. The tabernacle was begun in January and finished by March.

   My memory is a little fuzzy, but I do remember Dr. Bob McCallie, who was my English teacher, volunteered his class to help put together benches for seating the crowds. I'm not sure if it was just our one class or if other classes and grades went to Warner Park to help in this construction or not, but I do remember doing it and then sitting on those same seats during the crusade.

   I'm also not sure if this work project was taken on by the students as a way to get out of school for the day, or whether we felt the call to help and did. Regardless, the tabernacle was ready when the people arrived.

   Billy Graham did not come to McCallie, but several members of his team spoke at an assembly in the study hall on one afternoon.

   The other memory I have of Dr. Graham's ministry relates to his Atlanta crusade. The youth group pastor at our church took some of the young people to the meeting, and our daughter, Donna, accepted Christ there. The rest of our family did not go to Atlanta, but we were sure glad that Donna did.

   My two little stories are just a drop in the bucket of the millions that are related to Billy Graham, and they will all be totaled up one day. The result will be amazing. Changed lives related to all his meetings and ministry will make a huge difference in eternity.

   P.S.I could not find a picture of the Fieldhouse in Chattanooga on the internet, perhaps one of my Chattanooga friends could furnish one.