From 1956 to Now: A Look at Billy Graham’s Ministry in Oklahoma City

By   •   August 20, 2015

Billy Graham OKC 1956
Billy Graham spent June 1956 in Oklahoma City holding a Crusade that averaged more than 15,000 attendants nightly.
Native Americans OKC 1956
Part of the 1956 Crusade included a June 23 service held especially for the Native American population. Nearly 4,000 members of local tribes assembled in the Municipal Auditorium.
OKC 1983
Attendants listen to Billy Graham preach during the 1983 Oklahoma City Crusade.
OKC 1983
A counselor shares the Good News during Billy Graham's 1983 Crusade in Oklahoma City.
OKC 1995 Billy Graham
"The wounds of this tragedy are deep, but the courage and faith and the determination of the people of Oklahoma City are even deeper," Billy Graham said during the Statewide Prayer Service held at the Oklahoma State Fair Arena on April 23, 1995.
OKC bombing memorial
On one of the Gates of Time, the engraved 9:03 represents the first moments of recovery after the April 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. Billy Graham spoke during the Statewide Prayer Service held at the Oklahoma State Fair Arena a week after the tragedy.
Billy Graham 2003 OKC Crusade
In 2003, Billy Graham held his third Crusade in Oklahoma City. He told the crowd, "We are asking God to save us from terrorism, to save us from deficits, to save us from lawlessness. Jesus said, 'I am the way out.'"
2003 OKC Crusade
It was standing room only as the 2003 Billy Graham Crusade in Oklahoma City set an attendance record (29,000 in one night) for the then-newly opened Ford Center. Today, that’s the Chesapeake Energy Arena where Franklin Graham will hold the Oklahoma City Good News Festival on Aug. 22-23.
JC Watts and Billy Graham 2003 OKC
JC Watts, former Oklahoma congressman and Sooners quarterback, visited with Billy Graham during the 2003 Crusade.