Forty-eight Years After New York Debut, Frail Graham Returns to Preach Again

c. 2005 Religion News Service NEW YORK _ On Sept. 1, 1957, the baritone voice thundered to more than 120,000 people crammed shoulder to shoulder in Times Square: “There is enough spiritual power here tonight to touch the world!” That memory of a robust and youthful Billy Graham contrasted with the image Friday night (June […]

c. 2005 Religion News Service

NEW YORK _ On Sept. 1, 1957, the baritone voice thundered to more than 120,000 people crammed shoulder to shoulder in Times Square: “There is enough spiritual power here tonight to touch the world!”

That memory of a robust and youthful Billy Graham contrasted with the image Friday night (June 24) in Flushing Meadows of an 86-year-old man struggling to the podium with the help of a walker and the assistance of his son, the Rev. Franklin Graham, as a crowd of about 60,000 watched and waited.


“As you probably heard, my sermons are shorter than they used to be,” said Graham.

Fire can still flash from the famous blue eyes during those sermons, and the voice remains remarkably strong, but Graham clearly struggles with the challenges of his age and ailments, including hydrocephalus, or water on the brain. As he contemplates leaving the pulpit for good, this was as much a chance for New York to say goodbye to America’s preacher as it was an opportunity for Graham to preach the gospel one last time to the city that helped propel him from a popular evangelist to a household name.

Before he came to New York in 1957, Time magazine had already dubbed Graham “the best-known, most talked about Christian Leader in the world today, saving the pope.”

But Graham worried about his reception, according to his autobiography “Just As I Am,” writing in his diary, “I have prayed more over this assignment and wept more over the city of New York than any other city we’ve been to. Now it is in God’s hands.”

His crusade was scheduled for six weeks at Madison Square Garden but stretched to 16, with an attendance of more than 2 million people. His visit grew to include outdoor rallies in Harlem and Brooklyn and an overflow crowd at Yankee Stadium.

Graham said Friday that he still loves and prays for New York. In his message he talked about the history of Flushing Meadows Park and playfully referred to New York’s hometown boys, the Mets and the Yankees, who were facing each other in a subway series that night.

His voice was soft but strong for the 30 minutes that he spoke. He joked easily with the crowd as the sun set behind him, as he reminisced about his first sermon in North Florida and a red sheep he owned named Kruschev.


His Friday Bible message came in reference to a 1924 Yankees World Series, which came down to a single batter in the seventh inning. The batter hit a home run, but was called out because he forgot to touch first base.

This, said Graham, was like churchgoers who had not been born again.

“We have Christian faith, we go to church,” said Graham. “But deep inside we need something else.”

Graham was animated after spending much of the week resting in Long Island as a nurse waited in the wings in case he had medical trouble.

“He’s really charting new territory,” said A. Larry Ross, Graham’s director of publicity. “None of the great evangelists of history have preached beyond their mid-60’s.”

Although Graham has told Ross that he “won’t retire until the Lord retires him,” Ross predicts declining health will keep Graham from doing any preaching next year. “Last year was an unusual year for him physically,” said Ross.

He had two bad falls that year, which caused him a partial hip fracture and a fractured pelvis. Though the bones have now healed, Graham uses the walker to protect himself from future falls, said Ross.


Graham has repeatedly talked about his hydrocephalus, a condition that can happen in the elderly when areas of the brain become filled with spinal fluid. Symptoms of can include forgetfulness, dementia and loss of motor control, according to the Hydrocephalus Association in San Francisco.

Graham also suffers from prostate cancer and Parkinson’s.

The hydrocephalus is treatable, and three operations to drain the fluid at the Mayo Clinic had a marked, positive effect, members of his staff said. When he was younger, Graham was known as a live wire.

He was called “a gymnast for Jesus,” pacing and gesturing so vigorously that Cliff Barrows, who still appears on the crusade stage, was assigned to wind and unwind the cord of his lapel microphone. That grueling summer of 1957, Graham lost more than 20 pounds in 16 weeks.

Graham stayed put behind the podium Friday night, but his preaching ranged far and wide, displaying the quick, resourceful mind older New Yorkers still remember.

One of the deep impressions from his 1957 visit was an impromptu sermon drawn from the marquees of the movie theatres along Broadway, which were featuring “Love in the Afternoon,” with Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn, and “The Ten Commandments,” starring a Charlton Heston.

Richard Goodwin was there in 1957, and returned Friday night. He was 22 back then, serving in the Army at Fort Monmouth, N.J. and skeptical about the church and the crusade at Madison Square Garden. But somehow he found himself coming forward when Graham called.


“Mentally I asked myself, ‘What am I doing up here?,” said Goodwin, 70, now living in Sanford, Maine. “It came to me _ I was giving my heart to God. Tears flooded my eyes.”

Goodwin joined Graham’s crusade choir that summer of 1957 and said his most vivid memories were seeing the back of Graham’s head and the crowds of people coming into the outfield of Yankee Stadium, “like ink being poured out of a bottle.”

Goodwin sees the progress of time in himself and Graham.

“We all have to go through that process of getting old,” said Goodwin. “The Holy Spirit works through these jars of clay.”

Graham has often said that he is not afraid of death. At a press conference before the Flushing Meadows crusade he told a story about a near-death experience he had a few years ago, where he became aware of all of his life’s sins, and the forgiveness of them.

“I had the greatest peace,” said Graham. “I’ve never lost it to this day.”

In his final moments on stage Friday, Graham called listeners to come forward for a trademark altar call as a sign of dedication to Christ. As he spoke, streams of people moved toward the stage.

His plea was to those still in their seats, summing up his message of ministry in New York.


“There may never be a moment like this in your whole life. There may never be a moment like this in New York ,” he said softly. “You come now.”

MO RNS END

Editors: Search the RNS photo Web site at https://religionnews.com for photos of Graham, including a shot of him struggling in a walker at a Tuesday news conference, shots of Friday night’s crusade and multiple historic photos of his 1957 New York crusade.

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