Billy Graham, who remains one of the most dominant and influential Christians in the world, has explained to members of this organisation that he was greatly moved by the suffering the people of New Orleans had to endure following Hurricane Katrina, and that he would be delighted to come to “encourage pastors, churches and the people” of the area, A. Larry Ross (Graham’s spokesperson) reported.
The New Orleans event will carry the title of ‘Celebration of Hope’, and is scheduled to take place at the New Orleans Arena from 11-12 March.
It is believed that if Billy Graham does preach, he will do so on the 2nd day of the event.
The event has been organised as a direct response to Hurricane Katrina. After the devastating hurricane hit, New Orleans pastors and the Billy Graham organisation revived dormant plans to stage a gathering, said Jeff Anderson, who is one of the coordinators of the event.
Ross did mention, however, that whether Graham attends the festival, and whether he preaches or simply delivers a simple greeting, will depend entirely upon his health at the time of the event.
Billy Graham, who has had to suffer deteriorating health over the past years, suffers from various sicknesses, with Parkinson’s disease being the most visible. The world famous evangelist, who only officially stopped preaching last year, also suffers from prostate cancer and hydrocephaly, or water on the brain, and must use a walker because of the effects of a broken pelvis and hip.However, Graham’s history has been astonishing, preaching to millions in 185 countries, he is still recognised and greeted as one of the greatest Christians of his time.
His son, Franklin Graham has, to a large extent, taken over many of the preaching duties that Billy would have taken up, and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) is also headed by Franklin now.
Last year in June, Graham carried out his “last crusade” – a three-day event in New York, where almost a quarter of a million people turned out.
