Billy Graham returning to L.A.

Evangelist Billy Graham is returning to Southern California this summer for a crusade in Los Angeles.

Graham announced Feb. 9 plans — via long-time associate Cliff Barrows — to return to one of the cities in which he’s realized some of his greatest ministry impact through the years to hold a crusade for the Greater Los Angeles community, to be held July 29-Aug. 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. During an “Announcement Celebration” at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, Barrows responded to the invitation issued late last year from religious and community leaders throughout the Los Angeles area by reading from the letter of acceptance from Graham, who last Monday was released from Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, where he had been recovering from a partial hip replacement.

“It is overwhelming to receive an invitation to once again come to Southern California to proclaim the Gospel — I never dreamed I would still be preaching at the age of 85,” Graham wrote. “But the call the Lord has laid upon my heart to share the Good News is as strong as when I was much younger. God has granted me renewed strength, energy, freedom and determination to preach the Gospel.

“Because God has specifically placed Los Angeles on our hearts recently, it is with great excitement that I make plans to return to the Los Angeles area in a few months. I feel somewhat like the Apostle Paul in wanting to go back to places where we have ‘preached the Lord to see how they are doing.’ More important, however, there is a new generation that needs to hear the Gospel since our last crusade there in 1985. And now, Lord willing, I am looking forward with great anticipation to the Greater Los Angeles Crusade.”

More than 400 Southern California pastors and community leaders were on hand at the event to launch this cooperative effort, which will involve more than 1,000 area churches representing over 50 denominations. Among them were leaders announced to oversee the upcoming crusade preparations, including Rev. Lloyd Ogilvie, former Senate chaplain and pastor emeritus of First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, who will serve as honorary chair. Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer, pastor at Faithful Central Bible Church, and Dr. Jack Hayford, senior pastor at The Church on The Way, are the co-chairs.

“We need a spiritual awakening and greater unity among our diversified population to confront challenges in this city,” Dr. Ogilvie said. “Most of all, we need to reach out to millions of people who long to know God and experience His peace and power. The pastors and lay leaders of Los Angeles who have banded together in support of the Greater Los Angeles Crusade expect an outpouring of God’s blessing in this return of Billy Graham.”

Recounting Graham’s previous ministry in the community, Bishop Ulmer said, “For reasons known only to Him, God has sovereignly chosen to do mighty works in Los Angeles. And we greatly anticipate the return of Dr. Graham to Los Angeles for a crusade at the Pasadena Rose Bowl in July.

“We come together to overcome the things that divide us — all the schisms, and ‘isms’ that should be ‘wasms’ — and trust God once again to do a great work in our city,” said Bishop Ulmer.

“The Billy Graham campaign sets a historic moment before our city, as spiritual lightning has struck L.A. in his former crusades and I believe it is about to again,” Dr. Hayford said. “We expect a positive impact to take place across the spectrum of human need and hurt. That’s why so many church and community leaders are banding together.”

“This crusade will be much more than a four-day event in July; we’re serving the goal of a long-term spiritual refreshing, revealing that God hasn’t given up on Los Angeles,” Dr. Hayford added, referring to the cross-denominational cooperation exhibited as leaders have united together to invite Graham to town. “God loves the people of our city, and each one deserves to know how much.”

This will be Graham’s seventh evangelistic campaign in the Los Angeles area, including his historic 1949 crusade that brought him and his ministry to national attention.

His crusades in the area include the eight-week campaign held in a tent at the corner of Washington and Hill, that saw 350,000 in attendance. Graham went on to host meetings in 1958 at East Los Angeles Junior College, in 1963 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, in 1974 at the Hollywood Bowl, and two events at Anaheim Stadium, in 1969 and 1985. Altogether, more than 75,000 individuals have made decisions for Christ at Billy Graham crusades in the Greater Los Angeles area.

Last year, Graham held crusades in San Diego, in May, and Oklahoma City, in June. The meetings in San Diego drew 270,000 in attendance, with 16,000 inquirers over the four-day event. The Oklahoma City crusade saw 102,000 in attendance, with 4,359 inquirers. In January, Graham announced his first 2004 crusade, to be held at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., June 17-20.

Crusade Information Seminars were held Feb. 16-28 at 18 locations throughout Southern California. Led by members of the Billy Graham Team.

For further information contact the Crusade Office, (626) 793-8000.