Franklin Graham
Franklin Graham has devoted his life to meeting the needs of people around the world and proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The eldest son of Billy and Ruth Bell Graham, Franklin Graham
serves as President and CEO of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy
Graham Evangelistic Association. Under his leadership, Samaritan's
Purse has met the needs of poor, sick, and suffering people in more
than 100 countries. As an evangelist for the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association, he has led evangelistic outreach
initiatives around the world.
William Franklin Graham, III, born July 14, 1952, is the fourth
of five children born to evangelist Billy Graham and his wife, Ruth
Bell Graham. Raised in a log home in the Appalachian Mountains
outside Asheville, North Carolina, Franklin now lives in Boone,
North Carolina.
He was born into a heritage rich in Christian ministry. By the
time of Franklin's birth, Billy Graham was already known around the
world as a spiritual leader, but he wasn't the only spiritual giant
in the family. Franklin's maternal grandfather, Lemuel Nelson Bell,
was a medical missionary to China for more than 20 years, and a
respected moderator of his denomination, the Presbyterian Church in
the United States.
At age 22, after a period of rebellion and traveling the world,
Franklin committed his life to Jesus Christ while alone in a hotel
room in Jerusalem. Soon after that, Dr. Bob Pierce, founder of
Samaritan's Purse, invited Franklin to join him on a six-week
mission to Asia. It was during that time that Franklin felt a
calling to work with hurting people in areas of the world affected
by war, famine, disease, and natural disasters.
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