Like father, like son

Everyone has heard or read about the evangelist Billy Graham. A good many Christians attribute their conversion, or rebirth, from listening to the messages of this legendary pastor. Not surprisingly, people wonder if his son has taken after his father. Not surprisingly, yes. Some people who have heard father and son speak say that Billy is a powerful speaker, and Franklin, his son, is a milder version of his dad – but both are effective in proclaiming the Gospel.

Billy was here in 1977, and this week, Franklin is in Manila, not to speak in a crusade, but, as Bishop Ef Tendero puts it, "to enable the leadership of the Body of Christ in the Philippines to see his face and feel his heart." He adds that Franklin, who is a guest of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, Inc. – which Bishop Tendero heads – "carries a combination of active ministry to the poor, reaching out to young people, and a powerful proclamation of the Gospel."

Well, I look forward to meeting Franklin at breakfast at the Westin Philippine Plaza tomorrow. Here is this son of a famous evangelist who probably did not like the idea of people comparing him to his father, and so became rebellious and circled the world without purpose. But one day, at age 22, he was converted to his father’s faith. While alone in a hotel room in Jerusalem, he committed his life to Jesus Christ. Soon after, Dr. Bob Pierce, founder of Samaritan’s Purse, invited him to join him on a six-week mission to Asia. During that time, Franklin knew his calling was to work with hurting people in areas of the world affected by war, famine, disease, and natural disaster.

In 1978, he was elected to the board of Samaritan’s Purse, and one year later, after the death of Dr. Pierce, was elected president of the organization. Today, he serves as president and CEO of the inter-national relief orga-nization based in Boone, New Carolina. Samaritan’s Purse has an annual budget of $210 million and provides relief and assistance in more than 100 countries. It has international offices in Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, and field offices in more than a dozen developing countries.

Franklin is a powerful evangelist himself, conducting his first evangelistic event in 1989 during which he committed to spend 10 per cent of his time preaching. Each year, he conducts Festivals around the world as an evangelist for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). Since 1989, he has preached to more than 3.9 million people around the world. His 2004 Festival schedule includes events in Durban, South Africa; Bakersville, Calif.; Tijuana, Mexico; Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Temuco, Chile. Too bad the Philippines is not on this year’s preaching map.

In November 2000, he was appointed CEO of BGEA and remains first vice-chairman of the organization . Today he serves as its president.

Franklin is the author of several books, namely, The Name, All for Jesus, Kids Praying Kids, Miracle in a Shoebox, Bob Pierce: This One Thing I Do; Living Beyond the Limits: A Life in Sync with God, and his autobiography, Rebel With A Cause: Finally Comfortable Being Graham.

Franklin and his wife, Jane, live in the mountains of North Carolina, and have four children and two grandchildren.

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