Billy Graham Evangelical Association to Dedicate New HQ in North Carolina

The Billy Graham Evangelical Association (BGEA) will celebrate the opening of its new international headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA with a special dedication ceremony this Saturday 23rd April, according to the Assist News Services.

Currently, BGEA’s mission home is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Four years ago, a plan to relocate the headquarters was unveiled. The project was started after the official ground breaking in Charlotte in 2003. Now the construction of the building has basically been finished, but further innovation of facilities in the building will be started later this year.

The relocation of the headquarters symbolises the latest stage of the organisation’s growth, Assist News Services said. The founder of BGEA, Billy Graham and his son, who is also a world famous evangelist, Franklin Graham, and the BGEA Board of Directors will hold a private dedication ceremony on Saturday, at 10:00am local time. The event will be open to the media.

"The event will be an opportunity for invited guests and media to see the recently-completed facility located on 63 acres of land on the Billy Graham Parkway," said a spokesperson for BGEA said to Assist News Services. "Tours of the building and a lunch will follow the one-hour program."

During the dedication, there will be a presentation for the final plans of the Billy Graham Visitors Centre and Billy Graham Library to be built later this year in the new headquarters.

Charlotte, North Carolina, is in fact the home town of Billy Graham. Born in 1918, Graham started his life-long commitment to mission when he was ordained in the Southern Baptist Convention in 1939. Gifted with powerful preaching ability, a Los Angeles crusade in 1949 that lasted for eight weeks launched Graham into international prominence. He founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) in 1950 which was headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Over the last 50 years, he has stepped across all continents in the world to hold crusades. He has preached the Gospel to more than 210 million people in more than 185 countries. Graham is regularly listed by the Gallup organisation as one of the "Ten Most Admired Men in the World".

The city of Charlotte honoured Graham, 86, in 1983 by renaming a 4.8-mile stretch of highway - the Billy Graham Parkway.

Currently, BGEA confirmed yesterday that they are preparing Billy Graham’s last crusade in his life-long ministry to be held on 24th-26th June in New York City. The venue at the Flushing Meadows Park will gather as many individuals as possible to hear Graham's Gospel message.