An upcoming ceremony will be honouring the late evangelist Billy Graham with a statue in Washington, D.C.
On May 16 at 11:00 a.m., Graham's statue will be revealed alongside 200 other American statues. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) announced that Michael W. Smith as well as House Speaker Mike Johnson will attend the ceremony.
The statue was designed by an artist from Graham's home state of North Carolina. The bronze figure will stand seven feet tall with Graham holding a Bible in one hand.
Across the bottom of the statue will read 'Preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ' along with two Bible verses; John 3:16 and John 14:6.
"There have been many great North Carolinians, but few have impacted the world more than Billy Graham," says Pat McCrory, the former governor of NC.
Graham passed away at the age of 99 on February 21, 2018. During his eight decades of ministry, Graham counseled 12 U.S. presidents and shared the gospel with over 215 million people in 185 countries.
"The legacy of Rev. Billy Graham is based on his simple message of forgiveness based on John 3:16," says Senator Ted Budd. "His lifelong commitment to preaching the Gospel, his fight for civil rights, his opposition to communism, and his spiritual guidance provided hope to hundreds of millions."
Graham's son, Franklin Graham, who runs BGEA, talked about the meaning of this statue being erected in Washington.
"This is a great honor and my father would be humbled and grateful," Franklin said. "At the same time, he would not want the attention on himself but on God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ."