He goes about his family's business

Graham grandson preaches his first crusade near family's home base

GASTONIA -- His grandfather filled stadiums nearly 30 times as large. His father appeared at the elegant Meymandi Concert Hall at a fundraiser in Raleigh on Tuesday. When Will Graham forayed into the family business of evangelical crusades this past week, the third-generation evangelist packed a fading, 1950s-era baseball field.

Yet the venue, modest in comparison with those his dad and grandad fill, was fitting for the first U.S. event held by Graham, 31, the grandson of the Rev. Billy Graham.

Will Graham filled the bleachers for the "celebration" in Gastonia, a small town south of Charlotte, where his family's church dynasty is based. The older people in the audience were eager to hear the newest Graham, whose prior credentials consist of leading a start-up church in Wake Forest called Wakefield Baptist.

"We loooove the Grahams," said Delores Clark, 76, of Charlotte, who was saved at a 1958 Billy Graham crusade in Charlotte and has been a fan ever since.

To the thousands of kids who boarded church buses or packed into cars, Graham wasn't the main attraction, anyway. On Monday night, they danced to George Huff, the "American Idol" contestant, and went wild for Nicole C. Mullen, the charismatic and energetic Christian rock star.

Graham, who came on last, was introduced by his father, Franklin, who leads both Samaritan's Purse, the Christian relief organization, and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

The resemblance couldn't be stronger. Both have the same angular features, pronounced chins and tall, lean frame. But whereas Franklin Graham's hair is gray, his son's is jet black.

Franklin Graham said he and his wife, Jane, dedicated Will "to the Lord's service" when he was born, praying he would preach the Gospel when he grew up.

The young Graham, who is married with three children, appears to be answering that prayer.

Serious in a black suit and red tie, he spoke with the Southern drawl so peculiar to his grandfather, and exhibited a command of the basics of the Billy Graham message: the problem of sin, the need for salvation, everlasting life with Jesus.

Stabbing the air with his finger just as his grandfather did, he said, "The first thing we need to understand is that man is a law-breaker. We've rebelled against God. When we do that it's called sin."

He then asked how many people in the audience have coveted a flat screen TV, or a bigger home -- examples, he said, of humanity's sinful nature.

"When we sin, we deserve punishment," he said. "The Bible says, 'For the wages of sin are death.' The good news is God bore our sins on the cross."

Graham's message showed he not only understood the central themes of his grandfather's ministry, he was fluent in them.

"You could tell he was inspired," said Debra Walden of Belmont, who attended Monday night. "It was God speaking through him."

Others said he appeared too formal for his age. Speaking from behind a lectern, he appeared stern, even cross.

"I was expecting him to be more youthful," said Terri Eaker of Cherryville.

It's a sign of the times that many contemporary ministers no longer stand behind a pulpit in a suit and tie on Sunday mornings. They wear khakis and polo shirts. But then Graham is working within a time-tested and perfected Billy Graham crusade tradition. In a world filled with disappointments large and small, the Billy Graham name is still a touchstone of integrity and wholesomeness for many.

"I was raised with Billy Graham," said DeAnn Parsons of Cherryville, who brought her 15-year-old daughter, Lauren, with her. "I want my children to experience what I experienced when I saw Billy."