By Aaron Earls
After his death on Wednesday, flowers were placed below the Billy Graham statue at the Ridgecrest Conference Center.
The larger-than-life statue has been at Ridgecrest, a few miles from Graham’s Western North Carolina home, for the past two years after moving from Lifeway’s Nashville headquarters.
The sculpture, featuring a 17-foot cross behind Graham with outstretched arms and a Bible inscribed with the words of John 3:16, stands near the main entrance of the conference center.
“Even from the atmosphere there, I felt the Spirit of God,” the famed evangelist said. “Ridgecrest has been a center not only for inspiration and blessing to people that live in Western North Carolina but to hundreds of thousands of people throughout the country.”
Art Snead, executive director of Lifeway’s Ridgecrest Conference Center, said God used Graham to impact many lives for His glory around the world.
“We mourn with the Graham family and our friends at The Cove as he will be missed, but we also rejoice in the same hope of salvation Rev. Graham shared with so many throughout his life and ministry,” Snead said.
Related:
- Billy Graham’s Life & Ministry by the Numbers
- On Billy Graham, Calling and Humility: A Tribute From a Former Employee
- Billy Graham Remains Influential Among Churchgoers
AARON EARLS (@WardrobeDoor) is online editor of Facts & Trends.
