Graham crusade's return fires revival of the faithful

SPOKANE — He found himself drawn to the invitation, to the peace that Christians believe comes from salvation, to the hope inspired by the life of Jesus.

Justin Gardella was familiar with Billy Graham and his crusade. But he didn't know much about the man's message 20 years ago, when the renowned evangelist came to Spokane.

"The Lord was calling to me even though I didn't know the Lord," said Gardella, who attended Graham's revival out of curiosity. "Everything he said that night spoke to me. ... No matter who you are or where you come from, the door is open to everyone."

On a balmy August night in 1982, Gardella heeded Graham's words and replied to his invitation: He sought forgiveness for his sins and accepted Christ as his savior.

Two decades after his conversion, Gardella and thousands of other Christians will return to the same stadium this month. This time, they'll see Franklin Graham, Billy Graham's son. And although times have changed and the rock, hip-hop and pop music may sound louder or jarring to those who attended the elder Graham's crusade 20 years ago, the message remains the same.

"Christ is the same today as he was yesterday," said Victoria Love, a Spokane resident who attended the Billy Graham crusade as a 21-year-old. "The messenger is different, but what they say hasn't changed. It's about hope and healing."

Spokane is one of only five cities where Franklin Graham will bring his festival this year. Accompanied by bands and "Eight Is Enough" star Willie Ames dressed as the superhero Bibleman, Graham will preach at Joe Albi Stadium for three consecutive nights beginning Friday. The event is free.

Earlier this year in Gainesville, Fla., the festival drew 35,000 people. In College Station, Texas, about 48,000 attended.

In Spokane, festival officials hope to fill 22,000 seats, maybe even on a nightly basis.

Like his 83-year-old father, Graham is known worldwide for his oratorical skills and ability to touch people through Scripture. Heir to his father's legacy, he took over the Billy Graham Evangelical Association last year. Billy Graham has Parkinson's disease but continues to lead a few crusades each year.

Local ministers have been trying for years to bring the younger Graham to Spokane. More than 370 area churches from 58 Christian denominations and thousands of local volunteers have raised about $670,000 to make the event possible.

As people in the Spokane area prepare for the festival, some remember when Billy Graham came to town and ministered to nearly 40,000 people.

Jim Tapley, a retired pastor at the First Church of the Nazarene in north Spokane, can recall the excitement people felt when Billy Graham accepted Spokane's invitation.

"We were only exposed to him through television," said Tapley, who was a member of the committee that helped bring the elder Graham to town. "It was a big deal that he would actually consider providing leadership and coming to our city, which was considered small at the time."

Gardella, now 51 and a clerk for the city of Spokane, didn't plan to attend the 1982 gathering. But his wife, Carolyn, persuaded him to attend.

He said it changed his life.

On the night Gardella was saved — when he decided to ask for forgiveness, embrace God's love and find comfort in the belief of life after death — he left his seat and went forward with his wife.

The revival Gardella experienced was a culmination of events, from the time his grandmother died when he was a child to the alcoholism in his family to the loss of his brother during the Vietnam War.

He often heard the excitement in people's voices as they spoke of God. He was aware of a deep longing inside, but he said he didn't realize that Jesus was his answer until he heard Billy Graham speak.

That moment shaped the decisions he would make in the future. It strengthened his marriage, he said. It empowered him to raise his two sons in a closely knit Christian family. "I was set free; I'm not lost anymore," Gardella said. "I know where I'm going. I know what my goals are."

To prepare for Franklin Graham's visit, Gardella and his wife, along with nearly 8,000 others, have attended classes through the Billy Graham Evangelical Association to become counselors and help those who are inspired during the festival.

After attending Franklin Graham's festival in College Station, Texas, this year, Tapley found the younger Graham more modern than his dad, but someone who still appeals to people with the message that "Christ came to this Earth, that he died for you, that he rose on the third day, and that he loves you," Tapley said.

Unlike his father, Franklin Graham, 50, didn't always follow the straight and narrow path. As a young man, he skipped church, smoked and drank beer and got expelled from a small technical college in Texas. But it's precisely this past, this experience on the rougher side of the tracks, that may help some people better relate to the preacher.

"The Lord is working through Franklin just as well as his dad," Gardella said. "The Lord leads your life and that's who you follow."