The Billy Graham Library is a public museum and library documenting the life and ministry of Christian

evangelist Evangelist may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a co ...

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...

. The complex opened to the public on June 5, 2007. The library is located on the grounds of the international headquarters of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...

, a few miles from where Graham was reared. The library is styled after a dairy barn, with a mechanical "talking" cow, to reflect Graham's farm-based childhood. The main galleries within the library showcase numerous presentations, pictures, music, artifacts, and voices from throughout Graham's ministry. One gallery is entirely devoted to

Ruth Bell Graham Ruth McCue Bell Graham (June 10, 1920 – June 14, 2007) was an American Christian author, most well known as the wife of evangelist Billy Graham. She was born in Qingjiang, Jiangsu, Republic of China, the second of five children. Her parents, Vir ...

, the wife of the evangelist. There is a dairy bar café and bookstore called "Ruth's Attic." All visitors enter the Library through doors at the base of a glass cross. Also located on the Library grounds is the Prayer Garden, where Ruth Graham was buried on June 17, 2007. Ruth Graham initially opposed to being buried at the library, and instead preferred her home at the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove near

Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous ci ...

to be her final resting place until just before she died. In March 2009 Wilma "Billie" Barrows, the wife of Billy Graham's longtime Music Director Cliff Barrows, was interred on the Library grounds. In April 2013, Gospel singer and Graham's regular featured soloist George Beverly Shea was interred there as well. Barrows was buried next to his wife on the grounds after his death in November 2016. Graham's funeral following his February 21, 2018 death was conducted on March 2, 2018 in a tent, similar to the tents where he held his first crusades, on the grounds of the Library. Prior to the funeral, Graham had laid in repose in his childhood homeplace next to the library as well as lying in honor at the United States Capital in Washington, D.C. Following the funeral, Graham was buried next to his wife in the Library's Prayer Garden.Funeral plans announced for evangelist Billy Graham
/ref>

Notes

References

Reuters
* * https://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-05-31-billy-graham-library_N.htm?csp=34 * * http://news14.com/content/special_edition/billy_graham_library_dedication/Default.aspx

External links

Billy Graham Library

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

Samaritan's Purse
{{Authority control Libraries in North Carolina Museums in Charlotte, North Carolina Graham, Billy Religious museums in North Carolina Billy Graham

See also

Notes

References

External links