08:14 • December 29, 2024
Former President Jimmy Carter was once asked who had the most influence on his spiritual life. His answer was Billy Graham.
At the Billy Graham Library dedication in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2007, Carter joined fellow former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton in sharing special memories of the evangelist and his team.
Carter recalled his first interaction with Billy Graham’s ministry in 1967 when he helped organize an integrated gathering in Sumter County, Georgia, to show The Restless Ones, a Billy Graham World Wide Pictures film. People gathered in a junior high basement for the viewing, and more than 600 accepted Christ.
“This event … was a major breakthrough in severing the distinctive separation of our African American and white citizens, and in integrating, to a major degree, our county,” Carter shared.
Later, as governor and then as president, Carter said he appreciated how Billy Graham continued to break down barriers around the world.