Reverend Billy Graham made many trips to Winston-Salem during his ministry. One of his visits took place on November 18, 1966.
Reverend Billy Graham was the featured speaker at the Festival of Thanksgiving that commemorated the 200th anniversary of the founding of Salem. This was a year-long celebration that began on January 6th of 1966, 200 years to the day when the first tree was felled to begin building the town of Salem. Reverend Graham spoke at the second festival celebration before 8,500 people at the Memorial Coliseum.
People began arriving two hours before the scheduled time, filling the seats, and listening to the Moravian Band play hymns and chorales under the direction of Austin Burke Jr.
200 students from Wake Forest, Salem, and Winston-Salem State comprised a chorus that opened the festival with Bach’s “Grant us to do with Zeal.” After the call to worship, the singing of “We Gather Together to Ask the Lord’s Blessings,” and readings from the Old and New Testaments, Reverend Graham was introduced by Mayor M. C. Benton. Benton and Graham are shown in the above photo.
Reverend Graham based his talk on Jehovah’s message to the backslidden land of Judah as recorded in the sixth chapter of Jeremiah. The Winston-Salem Journal report on the event said, Reverend “Graham, using the Moravian heritage as an example, stressed the need for retaining the worthwhile things of the past in the midst of great changes and upheavals.” Reverend “Graham listed as unchanging, ‘the nature of God…the Word of God, human nature, moral laws, and the way of salvation.'”
Reverend Graham said “Salem means ‘peace’ and indeed God will defend Winston-Salem if its residents have faith in the God of your fathers.”
He made the comment that “Winston-Salem has one of the most glorious religious heritages of any city in the world, and the faith that brought the first small band of Moravians to it is even more relevant than it was 200 years ago.”
In remembrance of Reverend Billy Graham, 1918-2018.
Photographs courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection.
