Billy Graham, the most famous evangelist in the country, turned 95 on Thursday. Although he is frail health and rarely makes public appearances any longer, he did attend a star-studded party at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina. A video was played for the guests featuring what will be his final sermon.
Graham could not go up to the dias and stand behind a lectern to speak. He was brought in on a wheelchair and spoke through a 30-minute video that was screened for guests.
“Our country's in great need of a spiritual awakening,” he said, reports USA Today. “There have been times that I've wept as I've gone from city to city and I've seen how far people have wandered from God.”
In the video, called “The Cross,” Graham covered his message of salvation through Jesus Christ. It was filmed earlier this year at his home in Montreat, reports CNN. The video also showed images of Graham with American presidents, Martin Luther King Jr. and other key international figures.
"As I look back over my life, it is full of surprises. I never thought I would become friends with people in different countries all over the world," Garaham said.
“This will be my father's last message to the nation," Franklin Graham told USA Today. "He won't be able to do this again."
Hundreds of guests attended the event, including North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, Ricky Skaggs, Michael W. Smith and Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren.
The video is part of Graham’s My Hope America series and will be shown in churches around the country. It was also aired on Fox News.
image: Wikimedia Commons
