Billy Graham Crusade Is His Largest Ever

When evangelist Billy Graham first held a crusade in Argentina in 1962 he thought he was doing well to fill a 5,000-seat stadium in Buenos Aires. But that facility wouldn’t have been large enough to hold even the choir that assembled at the city’s 76,700-seat River Plate stadium for his latest Latin American venture.

During four nights of rallies, which ended Sunday, the Southern Baptist preacher drew crowds averaging 62,000 a night. In addition, the crusade was aired simultaneously to 20 countries across six times zones by satellite hookup, drawing more than 5 million people to 850 locations.

The combined total made the crusade the largest event Graham has ever held in his 50 years of public preaching. The programs were translated into six languages--Spanish, Portuguese and four Indian dialects.

Thirty-three musical inserts were pre-produced, involving gospel music from prominent Latin American Christian entertainers. In addition, 15 testimonies from leading sports figures and other prominent people were inserted into the programs for each country.

In recent months, Pope John Paul II and other Roman Catholic leaders have warned about inroads made by fundamentalists and Pentecostals in Latin America. But so far, Catholic Church officials in Argentina have avoided public comments about the Graham crusade.

Some observers said the greatest effect of the Buenos Aires crusade may have been its ability to mobilize Protestant churches to work together and gain greater visibility for their evangelistic activities.

“Mr. Graham’s visit has given the churches added credibility and an opportunity to know who they are and what can be done,” said the Rev. Norman Mydske, crusade director and a missionary to Uruguay, Aruba and Peru for more than 20 years for the Evangelical Alliance Mission. “Billy Graham comes and goes, but the impact of what he represents will go on for a long time.”