Bunny Warlen was a young mother of three when Billy Graham came to Dallas in 1971. At that time, the Dallas Cowboys were showing off a new stadium, which was filled with more than 450,000 people over the course of 10 nights in September.
More than four decades later, Warlen still remembers the music, the love she felt in that stadium and the moment Billy Graham gave an invitation to accept Christ.
“To watch the people begin to be drawn to the front was just powerful,” Warlen said. “I was amazed. And I remember telling my husband, ‘I have to go forward.’ I was just compelled to go forward, to go deeper with God.”
Amidst a sea of people, a counselor found Warlen and prayed with her. In the following months, Warlen says a representative from Billy Graham Evangelistic Association called her three times to make sure she was plugged into a local church.
“They didn’t let go until they made sure, and that’s what I remember is their faithfulness,” Warlen said. “It was wonderful. Which makes me encouraged because they’re going to do this in this city.”
Two years ago, Warlen moved to Owensboro, Kentucky, and learned that Billy Graham’s Grandson, Will Graham, would be holding an evangelistic outreach right in the middle of her new town.
“I am so excited about this Owensboro meeting, because I know what it‘ll do,” Warlen said. “This is wonderful for our city—for those that don’t know the Lord and the families that don’t know the Lord. We’ve got to have something happen in our nation, so this is part of God’s process.”
The Ohio Valley Will Graham Celebration will take place April 24-26 at the Owensboro Convention Center, but that event is only part of the big picture. For years, groups of Owensboro residents have been praying for their city.
Carol Adkins, the Celebration’s prayer team leader, and other believers in the area regularly pray as they walk, run and bike all over Owensboro. Adkins has even mapped out a nine-mile path around the city. She prays as she walks, asking God to unify the churches and move powerfully in her hometown.
In John chapter 17, Jesus prays that believers would be “one.” That word reverberates in Adkins’ mind as she prays for Owensboro.
“Unity is my heart,” Adkins said. “I’ve actually started rereading (John 17). What does Jesus really mean by this? What does that look like in America? I don’t have a really good picture yet, but I’ve really been meditating on that and trying to help make that happen.”
To that end, Celebration organizers held a Concert of Prayer on Friday, Jan. 9 at River City Church.
The focal point of the Concert of Prayer was worship, with worship leaders from 11 different churches providing the music. A speaker and small group prayer time followed, with the focus on Owensboro and the upcoming Celebration.
“When you start praying together, you become intimate with one another,” Warlen said. “We’re praying for the church of the city to arise.”
She saw that prayer become reality in 1971, and she believes she will see it again in 2015.
“I believe that this Friday night event is going to launch the love for our city in a deeper way,” Warlen said. “We all need to go deeper. We need to be better parents, better neighbors, better stewards of our city.”
