Press Releases

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) issued the following statement honoring the Rev. Billy Graham, who passed away today at the age of 99:

“Our world mourns the loss of a great spiritual leader and Christian. Billy Graham brought the Word to millions. He counseled presidents and, as the Netflix show 'The Crown' portrays, even the Queen of England.

“For me, there are two stories of Billy Graham’s ministry that stand out. One is that of Louis Zamperini, the runner and World War II prisoner of war. Zamperini’s encounter with Graham after the war converted him to Christ and convicted him to forgive his captors despite all the horrors they had inflicted on POWs.

“The other is that of the singer Stuart Hamblen, a man who had been struggling with alcohol. After his conversion at a Billy Graham crusade, he gave up drink. He explained this fact to his friend John Wayne, saying, ‘It is no secret what the Lord can do.’ Wayne replied, ‘You should write a song by that title,’ and so Hamblen did.

“As I think of Billy Graham today, I think of the words of another Hamblen song, ‘This Ole House:’

Ain't a-gonna need this house no longer.
I'm a-gettin' ready to meet the saints.”

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