Touring The Billy Graham Library:

Conveniently Located Near CLT

Not far from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in North Carolina, USA, 65 rolling acres of land is occupied by the Billy Graham Evangelical Association (BGEA) ^[1]. Moving from Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2000, the worldwide headquarters of BGEA has returned to the city that the Graham family long ago called home, a city that still honors her native son. Indeed, the nearby Billy Graham Parkway was renamed for the itinerant evangelist, an honor that the meek preacher would never have sought for himself.

Oops! No Directional Signs

As our visit was made during the waning days of June 2007, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) directional signs were not yet in place. For people traveling down the parkway it is easy to miss the exit for the library, therefore until the signs are in place you should check out the visitor's guide on the association's site to obtain directions. A tour guide at the library said that the DOT expected to have the signs in place during July 2007, so hopefully the issue is moot by the time that you are reading this article.

Tastefully Built And Very Welcoming

With two boys in tow, ages 6 and 7, we weren't sure how accommodating the library would be for our children. My wife and I were more than pleased to learn that the entire library is child friendly. Just as Jesus welcomed the little children, the Billy Graham Library does the same for its youngest visitors (the library is also completely wheelchair accessible too).

Upon entering the library, which is shaped like a barn, visitors pass through a cross entryway and immediately find themselves in a building containing original and replica items common to a dairy farm, which is appropriate as Billy Graham's family raised dairy cows. Children are delighted when they meet lifelike Bessie, a cow who speaks to them as they prepare to tour the twelve rooms making up the library. Indeed, before young children embark on the self-guided tour, they are given a two-sided sheet and a pencil to take with them. The sheet helps the children find important "clues" as they go through the library including, "How many Bible verses are in this room?" and, "What do you think the German inscription above the fireplace says when translated to English?" With more than a dozen questions to tackle, our boys eagerly found the answers and learned plenty about how God used Billy Graham to spread the gospel message worldwide. Once the tour ended, the boys were given a prize and a choice of ice cream pops to eat while relaxing in the whimsical cow-themed cafe.

A Tour Worth Taking

On the first day that we visited the library, technical difficulties required that the entire library's computer system be shut down and rebooted. This short delay, just ten minutes in length, required that the guests leave the library and the program restarted. Our boys used the waiting time to look at the 1930s-era Dodge truck on display and admire the farm equipment used back then. As their suburban-raised dad, I did my best to explain to our high tech boys how the plow worked and what the sickle was used for. I know that they are thankful to live in a time when much of the hard work of farming is now automated and done by others and occupy themselves with weightier matters -- is that cat laying on the barrel near Bessie real or not?!

I won't ruin the tour by telling you about everything that we saw, but there was a lot to see and some things I must mention.

The tour opened and closed with video presentations as the first video started visitors off where the first crusade was held -- Los Angeles in November 1949 -- while the closing video was an invitation for people to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. In between, visitors learned just how Billy Graham got started, where he preached, how the BGEA was formed, learned more about the Bell and Graham families, Billy and Ruth's marriage and children, and much more. Touch display screens allowed visitors to search for detailed information about the Grahams, BGEA, the mission, and much more. Display cases showed crusade program guides, gifts donated to the Grahams, and the like.

Each room had a theme underscoring something about Billy Graham and his ministry. For instance, we learned how Billy harnessed media technology to reach the masses. In this age of the internet it can be hard to comprehend how revolutionary that this was, but in an era where newspapers and the radio were dominant, Billy Graham was able to tap the television industry while yet in its infancy. The rest is history in the making!

To The Bookstore And To The Dairy Bar

Once the tour ends, visitors will find themselves in the library's bookstore where Bibles, books, tapes, shirts, and other material are available for purchase. My wife has long followed the Graham family and found a book written by Billy and Ruth Graham's daughter, Ruth, for purchase. While my wife shopped, the boys and I went over to the Graham Brothers Dairy Bar (cafe) where our sons turned in their coupons for ice cream and I purchased fresh sweetened ice tea for myself. Had it been a bit later in the day, we would have ordered a meal.

Indeed, children can get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, drink, and a cookie "combo" while adults can purchase sandwich, chips, and drink combos too. The theme of the dairy bar is 21st century rustic -- tables, benches, and stalls are scattered throughout the dining area to accommodate guests with cow table clothes and milk cans employed to enhance the dairy ambiance. 

The Homestead And The Prayer Garden