Friends, family and loved ones of the popular singer helped him celebrate his birthday at a private event, hosted at the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, N.C. 

Shea’s longtime friends Graham, music director Cliff Barrows and gospel music legends Bill and Gloria Gaither attended the event.

Testimonies during the program accented the humility and grace of the man often called “America’s Beloved Gospel Singer,” as well as his vital contribution to the work of evangelism for the Billy Graham Crusade team for more than 60 years.

“I’m deeply grateful to him,” said Mr. Graham during remarks at the event, publicized by Christian Newswire. “I count him as one of my closest friends and confidantes.” 

The centenarian greeted well-wishers with a few words, and took the opportunity to recite one of his favorite hymns, “The Shadow of a Cross,” in his familiar bass-baritone voice.
In a gesture perfect for a musician, Shea was presented with a Rodgers organ, eventually to be used at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Angola’s warden, Burl Cain, was in attendance at the celebration. Following a Franklin Graham Prison Festival at Angola in 2006, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association donated funds to build a chapel there that was dedicated in April 2008.

“I was overwhelmed that so many people were here tonight,” said Mr. Shea after the event. “And I never dreamed I would get a gift like this.”

“All these years, Daddy always said that a Crusade really began when Uncle Bev walked up to the mic and began to sing,” Franklin Graham said, according to Christian Newswire.

Shea was born in Winchester, Ontario, Feb 1, 1909, the son of a minister. He first sang for Billy Graham on the Chicago radio hymn program, “Songs in the Night,” in 1943 and since then has carried the Gospel in song to every continent and every state in the country. 

Shea is the recipient of 10 Grammy nominations with one Grammy Award (1965) and is a member of the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame (1978). For his significant contributions to Gospel music, he was inducted into the Religious Broadcasting Hall of Fame (NRB) in February 1996.

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

Here’s the news that is making headlines in Florida and beyond.

Evangelist Billy Graham’s grandson,Tullian Tchividjian (pictured above), has been chosen to lead the Presbyterian megachurch formerly led by the Rev. D. James Kennedy.

According to the Religion News Service, Tullian Tchividjian, 36, will assume the pastorate at Fort Lauderdale’s Coral Ridge Presbyterian, if approved by a congregational vote.

Kennedy died in September 2007 at age 76, and is widely believed to have been an ”architect of the Christian right,” the RNS reported.

Tchividjian is one of seven children of Gigi Tchividjian, the eldest daughter of Billy and Ruth Graham. His grandfather preached the dedication sermon for the Coral Ridge sanctuary in 1974.

“This will be an exciting legacy for both Dr. Kennedy and Billy Graham,” Dan Westphal, head of Coral Ridge’s search committee, told the RNS. “I’ve come to know Tullian well, and he is a godly man.”

Born in Jacksonville and raised in South Florida, Tchividjian was named after Tertullian, a theologian of the second and third centuries. He earned degrees in philosophy at Columbia International University in South Carolina, and in divinity at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando.

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

Well for the curious, Rev. Rick did just that.

Some people may remember that evangelist Franklin Graham ignited a firestorm when he invoked the name of Jesus in his invocation at the 2001 inauguration of George W. Bush.

Franklin G., son of renowned evangelist Billy Graham, was filling in for his father who was ill at the time.

Franklin Graham refused to retract his words after criticism became public. He later wrote a book about the reasons why Jesus’ name incites and draws ire.

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor 

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Not everybody had New Year’s resolutions,  weight loss or black eyed peas on their mind on Jan. 1.

That was the day the Christian Defense Coalition launched a new prayer campaign for President-elect Barack Obama.

The campaign is to lead up to Jan. 20, the day of Obama’s presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C.

The coalition is asking people to pray at noon everyday in their homes, businesses and organizations that Obama change his pro-choice stance on abortion.

As part of the campaign, members of the coalition will lead a prayer vigil at noon everyday outside the White House, concluding with a large prayer vigil on the Martin Luther King national holiday on Jan. 19.

The coalition, in a news release, said an inaugural prayer offered 40 years ago by the Rev. Billy Graham is to be offered:

“We thank Thee for this torch of faith handed to us by our forefathers. May we never let it be extinguished. Thou alone hast given us our prosperity, our freedom and power. This faith in God is our heritage and foundation,” the prayer says.

“The whole world is watching to see if the faith of our fathers will stand the trials and tests of the hour. Too long we have neglected Thy word and ignored Thy laws. Too long we have tried to solve our problems without reference to Thee. Too long we have tried to live by bread alone,” it continues.

“So we pray, O God, as we enter a new era, that we as a nation may experience a moral and spiritual rest,” it adds. “And in the lonely moments of decision grant him an uncompromising courage to do what is morally right.”

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

As a way to honor the renowned preacher, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association requested the people who have been impacted by Graham and his ministry send in letters and e-mails sharing their testimonies of faith.

The association received about 120,000 letters.

Watch as Graham’s son, Franklin Graham, tells his father of the project: Billy’s 90th birthday.

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

“I am grateful for each day, thankful for the measure of health I have and am overwhelmed by this celebration. But I think we can come back and celebrate again next year.”

(PICTURED ABOVE: Four generations of William F. Graham, including the evangelist, Billy Graham, and, left to right, his son, Franklin; grandson, “Will”; and great-grandson, “Quinn.”)

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor 

He is to mark this milestone with a private family dinner near his mountainside home outside Asheville, N.C. His son, evangelist Franklin Graham, appeared on NBC’s “Today” show and said the dinner was to include barbeque, a treat his father was especially looking forward to.

For the past month, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has been encouraging individuals to bless the evangelist by sending a birthday greeting or story to him.  You can read some of those messages and stories  on the association Web site at www.billygraham.org.

Meanwhile Graham was recently  interviewed for a news release sent out by the association.

Here is  what he had to say:

“I never expected to live this long, and it is hard to believe I have reached the age of 90. Every day is a gift from God, no matter how old we are. I have discovered that just because we grow weaker physically as we age, it doesn’t mean that we must grow weaker spiritually. In fact, we ought to be growing stronger spiritually, because our eyes ought to be on eternity and Heaven — on the things that really matter.”

People familiar with the renowned preacher’s dedication to spreading the Gospel will not be too surprised to learn that he is working to complete a new book project based on his personal experience with growing older and how to be prepared emotionally and spiritually for what he says can be the most fulfilling years of life.

“I look forward to the time when I will be reunited with my wife in heaven, and neither of us will ever experience again the physical aches and pains brought about by age and illness,” he said in the association’s prepared statement.

Meanwhile, at 90 Graham continues to stay informed about the evangelistic association’s ministry under the leadership of Franklin Graham. In the past year he participated in ministry board meetings and other activities as his health allowed.

“I am proud of Franklin’s leadership of the BGEA and the way it is showing the love of Christ to a hurting world and using new technology to share the Gospel message,” he said.        

Incidentally, I got to meet Billy Graham when he came for his Mission Oklahoma City in 2003 at the Ford Center. Even after five years have passed, I can still remember the trepidation I felt as I walked into the room where Graham was waiting for me.

He had agreed to an interview and I learned that he typically grants a news interview in the city where his crusade/mission is to be held.

Any nerves I had completely disappeared once we started the interview. It was like talking to a trusted friend.

The atmosphere in the room was one of complete calm — something that can’t be orchestrated. I thought about it later and wondered how they had arranged it that way.

Several months later it dawned on me that Graham set the atmosphere. I believe the calm and peace that pervaded the room was because he was totally at peace with God and a true witness to God’s grace and love in the world.

I’ve been told that people of faith should set the atmosphere — well Billy Graham did — and does.

Happy Birthday Billy!

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor          

Religious leaders and representatives of faith-based organizations are weighing in on the election of Sen. Barack Obama as the nation’s 44th president.

The National Council of Churches has responded today with a letter to the new president elect:

Dear Mr. President Elect,

Blessings on you, and congratulations. Now that the electorate has made its decision, we at the National Council of Churches urge all Americans to come together to uphold you with our hands, our hearts and our prayers.

Only rarely in our history has a president-elect faced immediate challenges of such fierce magnitude. The leaders of this Council pledge to you our unstinting support in the difficult days to come. All of us are dependent on God’s loving mercy, and we will regularly pray for you and others elected to high leadership. May your wisdom and discernment serve you well, and may your health never wane.

To read the complete letter, click here: Letter

The Rev. Billy Graham, who is nearing his 90th birthday on Friday, also has a statement, shared through a news release sent today:

“President Elect Barack Obama faces many challenges, and I urge everyone to join me in pledging our support and prayers as he begins the difficult task ahead.”

Meanwhile, The Associated Press is reporting that the Vatican said today that it hopes that Barack Obama will work to promote peace and justice in the world.

The Rev. Federico Lombardi, chief spokesman for the Vatican and for Pope Benedict XVI told The Associated Press that the Vatican hoped Obama would “work for the cause of rights and justice, finding suitable ways to promote peace in the world, fostering people’s development and dignity while respecting essential human and spiritual values.”   

Other statements come from leaders that are not as conciliatory:

The Rev. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, released the following statement regarding the Presidential election:

“Americans have made a grave mistake in electing Barack Obama to the presidency. He said during the campaign that he does not know when a human being starts to have human rights.  How can one govern from that starting point of ignorance?   Governing is about protecting human rights; to do it successfully, you have to know where they come from, and when they begin.  The President-elect has already failed that test miserably.”I’ll post more comments and statements as they arrive.Carla Hinton

Religion Editor

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In a prepared statement released today, a spokesman for Graham said the famed preacher has returned home from Mission Hospital near Asheville.

A. Larry Ross, director of media/public relations for Graham, said the 89-year-old evangelist was admitted for observation Friday after he tripped over one of his three dogs and fell.

Ross said Graham suffered no broken bones in the fall. He said Graham chose to remain in the hospital rather than return home due to the lateness of the hour.

Ross said Graham’s personal physician, Dr. Lucian Rice, confirmed the fall should not pose a setback for the evangelist, who will turn 90 on Nov. 7.

Carla Hinton

Religion Editor