setting the
Church Back?
Billy Graham broke down a lot of
barriers between the denominations. he never compromised in any
way the straight preaching of the
gospel. around the time he came
on one crusade, there was an article
in the Toronto Star or the Globe and
Mail that quoted a liberal churchman saying Billy was setting the
church back 50 years. a reporter
asked Billy for a response. he said
something like: “i’m disappointed.
i had hoped to set it back 2,000
years.” he said it with a grin.
–david mainse, veteran
tv broadcaster
Rock-star preacher
Clearly Billy Graham has a God-given
charisma. when you listen to those old
sermons, you realize this was a rock-star quality in preaching. he just had
something. i can only conclude it must
be the power of the holy spirit preaching through the word. his trademark
is this worn Bible hanging over his
hand. his most oft-repeated phrase is
“The Bible says.” i think the holy spirit
ignites proclamation. and that is why
Billy was what he was. i was at his 90th
birthday party. and i can tell you he’s
still a bit of a rock star.
–lorna dueck, tv host of
listen up and board member
for the Billy graham Evangelistic
Association of Canada.
nized that Canada was more Roman Catholic
than the United States. He recognized the kinds
of issues that could cause tension between the
United States and Canada.”
Graham had credibility, and, according to
Mackey, it was contagious.
“I think he helped a lot of Canadian evangelical leaders bring credibility to the gospel. And
he did it in a way that was modest and self-effacing but also in a way that brought tremendous
energy to evangelism projects. He could bring
in all these Americans who really knew how to
do it, but he could have them work in such a
way that the local executive committee could
weigh things and see how they fit into our cities,
whatever that city was.”
In 1998 that city was Ottawa. Back then Bob
DuBroy was general manager of the Christian
radio station CHRI and helped organize the Ottawa crusade. “Part of the ministry of CHRI is
to unite Ottawa. To have someone like Billy Graham come and give traction to that gave it great
credibility. It was powerful,” says DuBroy. “It let
Ottawa know Christianity was not dead, that we
could fill the Corel Centre and that there were
actually more people interested in faith than interested in the Ottawa Senators” hockey team.
For DuBroy, a Roman Catholic, Graham’s
emphasis on Christian unity was a welcome relief.
“When Graham gave instructions to prayer ministers to send people back to churches of their own
denominations to get fed there, that was huge. As
a Catholic, that really speaks volumes to me. It
has a healing effect for me.”
Lloyd Mackey agrees. “Ottawa was a striking
example, and maybe the best example to date, of
co-operation between Protestants and Catholics.
Among the several thousands of prayer counsellors trained for the event, a good 30 to 40 per cent
were Catholic.”
An interdenominational ministerial named
Mission Ottawa, which has roots in the Billy
Graham crusade, still brings Christian leaders
together for prayer and ministry to Canada’s
capital. This is music to Steve Wile’s ears. Wile is
director of ministry for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of Canada.
“Absolutely, part of our mandate is to leave
the churches in a stronger position than before we
partnered with them,” says Wile.
That strengthening of the Church happened on the individual level, congregation by
congregation, as well as on the national scene.
Carol Sollows of Ottawa has been appointed
president of the Canadian Baptist Women of
Ontario and Quebec. Prior to attending the Billy
Graham crusade in Ottawa in ’98, Sollows and
her husband, Wayne, were nominal at best in
their Christian life.
Everything changed that night.
“We went down and rededicated our lives.
Billy preached on
Graham Association Ministries in Canada Today
the Billy graham Evangelistic Association of
Canada (BgEAC) has its headquarters in Calgary
but its programs reach across the country. here’s
a quick summary:
REAChIng ChIldREn
KidzFest is a children’s evangelism ministry, a fun and
kid-friendly program that includes a community carnival and a concert led by God rocks! (a kids music and
drama ministry team). Easterrific is an Easter ministry
that individual churches help to host. dare to Be a
daniel is a program helping “tweens” grow in their
faith and their ability to share it with others.
REAChIng youth
The year-long Epicentre evangelism ministry takes the youth of a targeted city through seven phases of faith-building and faith-sharing
activities, culminating in a concert event at which will Graham (Billy
Graham’s eldest grandson) shares a gospel message and invites listeners
to receive Christ as their lord and saviour. The latest Epicentre program
in saskatoon attracted 4,200 people of whom 474 made public commitments of faith. The Campusfire youth ministry equips and encourages
young adults to exhibit spiritual leadership in their high schools and
universities, mentoring others to faith.
