Evangelist Targets ‘New Generation’ of County Faithful : Graham Visits Site of July Crusade

Evangelist Billy Graham, appearing in Orange County on Wednesday to personally launch next summer’s Southern California Crusade, said his mission would be to unite the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have settled in the area since his last crusade here in 1969.

“It is a new population, a new generation. The people we will reach (this summer) were not here in 1969,” Graham said during a news conference at Anaheim Stadium to formally begin the July 19-28 crusade at the same location.

Graham, who gained international fame in 1949 during his first California crusade in Los Angeles, said he was especially pleased that he will be able to preach to thousands of foreign-speaking Southern Californians during the crusade. Simultaneous translations will be provided in at least 10 languages at the 70,500-seat stadium.

‘Coming Together’ of Churches “There has been an influx of international people since we were last here,” the evangelist said. “I hope this is what comes out of this crusade--the big churches and the little churches and the ethnic churches coming together.”

Graham, 66, who is leading the crusade at the personal invitation of hundreds of Orange County pastors, stressed that he wanted area churches to do their part in ministering to the many foreigners who have settled in Southern California in the last 15 years.

“People here should welcome these immigrants with love, and the church ought to take the lead,” he said. “We are going to put a lot of emphasis on the international (aspect of the crusade).”

Today, Graham is scheduled to outline crusade plans and goals to 2,000 ministers and congregational leaders at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove. He then will fly to Washington to participate in inaugural festivities for President Reagan. He will deliver the key sermon Sunday in an inaugural service at the Washington Cathedral.

Local leaders staging the July crusade estimate that as many as 600,000 people will turn out to hear Graham’s message during his 10-day appearance. During the 1969 crusade, Graham attracted 384,000 listeners when Anaheim Stadium could accommodate only 43,400 people in the tiered seating.

Graham, who recently toured Russia and attracted 1.2 million people to a sermon in South Korea, said he was pleased to preach again in Southern California, where he has traditionally been well received.

“We were invited here. I love Southern California because this is where we started our crusade,” he said. “This stadium lends itself to our type of crusade. It is the easiest place to preach in that I’ve been to. We have as many friends in Southern California as we have in any other place in the world.”

TV Appearances Graham, who appears on prime-time television about 20 times a year, also said that that medium is contributing to problems among youth, another key target of his July Southern California Crusade.

“It (television) is having an effect on the crimes of our young people,” he said. “I would like to see more religion in television, not less.”