c. 2005 Religion News Service

NASHVILLE, Tenn. _ Southern Baptists have commissioned a bronze statue of their most famous evangelist, Billy Graham, that will depict him with his hands outstretched, holding a Bible, standing in front of a huge cross.

The decision was officially announced Wednesday (June 22), on the last day of Southern Baptists’ annual convention. A Wyoming artist has been given the task of creating the sculpture, which is expected to be unveiled at next year’s Southern Baptist meeting, in Greensboro, N.C.

It will then be transported to Nashville, the location of the denomination’s executive offices.

A miniature version of the statue was uncovered at the meeting by Graham’s grandson, William Franklin Graham IV, who was also presented a framed written tribute honoring his grandfather. Graham, 86, was in New York City preparing for his June 24-26 crusade.

The younger Graham told Southern Baptists that people should not look at the statue and wish they could be like Billy Graham.

“My grandfather and I would say, `You’re shooting too low. … Aim higher. … Just be faithful to the calling you have,”’ said Graham, the pastor of a Southern Baptist church in Raleigh, N.C.

“God’s going to use you just like he used my grandfather. … It may not be to hundreds of thousands, millions of people but it’s a job designed just for you.”

That call to ministry capped a two-day meeting that drew more than 11,000 messengers, the Southern Baptist term for delegates.

The meeting encouraged a renewed evangelism effort to overcome a decline in baptisms in four out of the last five years.

The Rev. Bobby Welch was re-elected president of the 16.2 million-member organization, the country’s largest Protestant denomination. He emphasized a theme that reached nearly a fever pitch by the meeting’s conclusion Wednesday night.

“Who can we depend on? Who can witness, win and baptize a million in one year? Who?” he asked.

“Everyone can and I will!” the crowd shouted in response.

The meeting, which was accented with baptisms by Nashville-area ministers, ended with other nontraditional touches _ the blowing of a ram’s horn by entertainer Ricky Skaggs, a balloon drop and indoor fireworks. The festivities marked the official launch of the “Everyone Can!” campaign to baptize 1 million people between October 2005 and September 2006.

Welch began to promote the campaign last summer with a cross-country bus tour.

In addition to the focus on evangelism, Baptists heard an address via satellite from President Bush, who commended them for their devotion to God and country and for supporting “the sacred institution of marriage.”

Messengers also passed a number of resolutions, including an overwhelming vote for a statement that ended their eight-year boycott of the Walt Disney Co.

“The boycott has communicated effectively our displeasure concerning products and policies that violate moral righteousness and traditional family values,” reads the resolution.

“For a boycott to be effective, it must be specifically targeted and of limited duration.”

Some Southern Baptist leaders said Disney had changed, in part because of the boycott, and cited as examples the pending departure of Disney CEO Michael Eisner and its production of more entertainment that is considered family-friendly.

After receiving two proposed resolutions related to public schools, a committee brought to a successful vote a statement that noted concern about “negative influences” in the general culture, including schools. It urged Southern Baptists to monitor various influences of education and entertainment on their children and make appropriate decisions about whether they are best educated in public, private or home schooling settings.

In other business, the Southern Baptists:

_ Approved a long-debated change in a legal declaration of its relationship with New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, making the Southern Baptist Convention a “sole member” of the seminary.

_ Adopted a resolution supporting stem cell research that does not involve the destruction of embryos and passed another resolution supporting the nomination of judges “who will interpret rather than make law.”

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Editors: Search the RNS photo Web site at https://religionnews.com for photos of a miniature statue, Graham’s grandson and baptisms.