Following the death of the world's best-known evangelist, Rev. Billy Graham, followers have turned to social media and reaclled the times they saw Graham preach in person.
One of those people is Don Thrasher who currently resides in Toccoa, Georgia.
Thrasher first saw Graham at his 1973 crusade in Atlanta. Over 20 years later, Thrasher served as an usher at Graham’s 1994 crusade at the Georgia Dome.
“Fascinating,” Thrasher said. “His preaching was powerful ... both services were powerful and spiritually uplifting.”
Thrasher said the crowds were big at both events filling up their respective venues.
“One of the things about both crusades was there were plenty of advertising about it at least months in advance,” Thrasher said.
In 1994, Thrasher lived in Lilburn where his church helped plan the crusade with the Billy Graham Organization for the event.
“It was very non-denominational,” Thrasher said. “We had people from all denominations representing our churches to promote the Billy Graham crusade.”
However, Graham didn’t need much promotion. Thousands came to see him from his reputation alone.
“The man was known as a Christian man of integrity,” Thrasher said. “He was non-partisan in politics, he would minister to folks no matter what political party you belonged to.”
Graham was America’s pastor. During his life Graham met, prayed with, comforted and joked with 12 U.S. presidents. Like Thrasher said, he knew how to reach everyone, Democrat or Republican. North or South.
Thrasher said it was a privilege to attend the crusades. Thrasher also got to visit the Bill Graham Library this past September in Charlotte, North Carolina. He said it was something he always wanted to do.
“The library wasn’t about Billy Graham, it was about God,” Thrasher said. “It brought back all the wonderful memories from the crusades.”
Doris Boyd is another follower of Graham. She told 11Alive about her time in the choir during Graham’s first crusade in Atlanta which was held at Ponce de Leon Ballpark in 1950.
“It was as close as you could get to singing with the angels,” Boyd said.
The 90-year-old Atlanta native who currently resides in California said as she stood there in the ballpark, she thought, “I wonder if this is what heaven will look like with angels singing all around you.”
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