From the Editor
www.faithtoday.ca
vol. 27 no. 4
Faith Today is a communications
ministry of The Evangelical Fellowship of
Canada to connect, equip and
inform evangelical Christians in Canada.
vIsIt ouR nEw dIgItAl EdItIon At
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publisher:The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada,
Bruce J. Clemenger, President
managing Editor: Gail reid
senior Editor: Bill Fledderus
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A Gentle, Warm Pull
By Gail Reid
Graham crusades leave an
eternal legacy
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The cover story of this issue
of Faith Today honours Billy
Graham and his impact on the
personal lives of Canadians
and the whole movement of Christian
ministries in Canada.
In “The Man Next Door,” Karen
Stiller interviews leaders who point to
the key elements of Graham’s success: his
personal integrity and his insistence on
denominational co-operation for each of
his campaigns. (He personally led about
13 in Canada since 1955.) These also
provided the seeds for many co-operative
efforts in the future, including the eventual gathering to form The Evangelical
Fellowship of Canada in 1964.
Even Protestants and Roman Catholics, who may not have crossed the street
then to say hello, found themselves on the
same planning committees. These connections around evangelistic events spun
into respect and co-operation, which
later became particularly important for
social action interventions.
I, too, am thankful for this humble
man and the sacrifices he has made in
his life to follow God’s call.
My memory of the first Billy Graham crusade in Toronto is more visceral
than accurate. Children feel things.
Everything seems stronger when they try
to make sense out of these emotions.
My mother had taken us up and up
to the very top of the building where we
found ourselves in a wide-open space
filled with thousands and thousands
of people. I had never seen so many
people in one place.
My best friend Eleanor, her brother
Brian and I tried to sit in our seats but
struggled. It was hard to concentrate.
Energy seemed to swirl around us. It
pulsed, sparkled, vibrated – somehow
tying us together. We couldn’t miss the
choir all dressed the same and filling
a huge space. When they stood up to
sing, it felt like a mighty army preparing for majesty to appear. But out of all
this, only one man stood alone.
His voice was strong and commanding yet personal. He spoke to us
as if he knew us. Oh, there were lots
of things I didn’t understand but I felt
I could trust him, and I wasn’t alone.
When he asked who wanted to give
their lives to Jesus Christ, I felt warm
inside. It hadn’t been long since I had
taken that step myself at a Christian
camp. I knew what it meant and was
happy for having done so. Already I
was feeling changes in my life. I didn’t
feel as afraid of things because I knew
I could talk to God.
That day, Brian went forward. I
think my mother was surprised. She had
to leave Eleanor and me and take the
long trip down to the once empty space
that was already filled with people.
Eventually we lost sight of them.
But inside it felt as if we were all joining hands. Eleanor and I hugged each
other as we watched and waited. There
was a gentle, warm pull as we heard
so many repeat the words together: “I
am sorry for my sins.... I believe Jesus
died in my place.... I want Him to be
my personal Saviour....”
Not many years later, Brian died
of a brain tumour. It gives me great
comfort to remember the commitment
he made that day.
Gail Reid is managing editor of Faith
Today and director of communications for
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.
