On this day 69 years ago, the late Rev. Billy Graham concluded a crusade that lasted nearly 16 weeks — beginning May 15, 1957, and ending Sept. 1 — and further solidified the preacher’s status as the leading evangelist of his era.
The New York City effort, primarily held at Madison Square Garden, ultimately drew nearly 2.4 million attendees with more than 61,000 recorded decisions for Christ. The original agenda initially allotted for six weeks — little did attendees (and Graham himself) know that it would stretch for an additional 10. The meetings were his largest and longest-running in the United States; his 1954 London Crusade ran seven weeks and drew more than 2 million people, and another across cities in Scotland in 1955 lasted more than five weeks and drew 2.6 million.
American melting pot
But New York exemplified the American melting pot.
“No other city in America — perhaps in the world — presented as great a challenge to evangelism,” Graham recalled in his autobiography “Just As I Am,” noting the particular challenge of diversity the city presented — ethnically, religiously and professionally. Yet even the Apostle Paul himself did not shy away from preaching in the grand cities of the Roman Empire.
For Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, preparing for this event took two years full of countless prayers, careful training and the mobilization of numerous churches and volunteers all prepared to disciple those who made decisions for Christ. A 1,500-voice choir rehearsed for weeks, counselors trained in follow-up, and churches across the city were organized to receive new believers.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Sarah Holliday and originally published by Decision Magazine. Used with permission.
