The torch is passed
-but no Billy

Billy Graham too ill to attend Amsterdam 2000

MAXWELL RYAN
Special to CW

The largest-ever gathering of its kind, with about 10,000 Christians-mostly itinerant evangelists-from 190 counties, gathered in Amsterdam July 29 to August 6 for a conference organized and paid for by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

But Billy Graham-the man most people hoped to see-was too ill to attend personally, or to deliver his remarks via satellite.

The 81-year-old world-famous evangelist had announced that he was too weak to make the trip to Amsterdam. A planned greeting to the conference delegates via satellite was canceled at the last minute. A statement said he lacked the strength to speak from Rochester, Minnesota, where he has been an outpatient at the Mayo Clinic. Graham suffers from Parkinson’s disease and normal pressure hydrocephalus.

An abbreviated version of Bill’s opening address was given by his son and heir apparent to the BGEA, Franklin Graham. "I deeply regret the circumstances that have kept me from being with you in person," Graham said.

"Although I am deeply disappointed, I have accepted this as the plan and will of God. Be assured, however, that I will be with you in spirit and prayer throughout the conference. We must go back and search the Word of God to discover what we need to do for the extension of the Kingdom in our day. That is the reason we have convened this conference."

Cost $40 million

Amsterdam 2000 was five years in the making, at a cost of $40 million. It was designed to give young evangelists, especially those from developing countries, the opportunity to study with experts and improve their skills. While most of the 300 speakers and teachers were from the West, most of the participants-selected from the 28,000 who applied to attend-were from developing countries.

Among the teachers were the Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, Prison Fellowship president Charles Colson, Korean preacher Billy Kim, Campus Crusade for Christ founder Bill Bright, theologian J. I. Packer and evangelist Luis Palau.

More than 130 seminars and 200 workshops addressed issues that will affect evangelism in the 21st century. For each seminar there were 17 regional sessions led by presenters who translated and adapted the session to the culture of a specific region. Two workshops for all 25 languages were offered during each session.

The BGEA paid the expenses for most of the participants and supplied them with clothing and other essentials as needed.

"Clearly, the delegates feel a sense of loss" [at not seeing Billy Graham], said Franklin Graham. "But this conference was never intended to focus on him. He never wanted that. He wanted the focus to be on the evangelists."

The opening ceremony of the world's largest gathering of evangelists began with fanfare. The African Children's Choir sang and danced. Photos of people from the around the world flashed on giant video screens. Christian believers from each continent took the stage to tell how Jesus Christ had changed their lives.

Longtime associate Cliff Barrows led the service, and 91-year-old George Beverly Shea sang "I'd rather have Jesus" and "How great Thou art." In the opening address, Billy Kim gave an urgent call to evangelism. "We have spent no sleepless nights in prayer for those who are lost," he said. "May God forgive us for not being deeply concerned over the lost hell-bound souls."