Billy Graham’s First Crusade
September 13, 1947
During the week of September 13–21, 1947, Billy Graham’s first crusade was held in the Civic Auditorium of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the 28-year-old evangelist preached to 6,000 attendees. He was an ordained Southern Baptist minister, a graduate of Wheaton College, and a full-time evangelist for the new Youth for Christ ministry.
Graham’s new crusades drew national attention in 1949, when William Randolph Hearst’s newspapers promoted his Los Angeles crusade, which then continued for five weeks longer than originally planned.
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James M. Kushiner is the Director of Publications for The Fellowship of St. James and the former Executive Editor of Touchstone.
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