Shea shares gift with Angola

An organ belonging to George Beverly Shea, the 100-year-old soloist on Billy Graham’s evangelistic team, was supposed to reach the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, La., when Shea was no longer on earth to play it. But he recently helped deliver the gift early, Baptist Press reported. Shea explained at a ceremony at Angola that […]

An organ belonging to George Beverly Shea, the 100-year-old soloist on Billy Graham’s evangelistic team, was supposed to reach the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, La., when Shea was no longer on earth to play it.

But he recently helped deliver the gift early, Baptist Press reported.

Shea explained at a ceremony at Angola that evangelist Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association gave it to him as a 100th birthday present and said the Rodgers organ would eventually be placed at the prison.


“Franklin said the organ would be mine as long as I’m alive,” Shea said. “But every night, on my pillow, I would think about it.”

He said opted to give the organ now so he could enjoy giving it away.

(Photo credit: Baptist Press)

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