U.S. President Donald Trump, former President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Mike Pence have mourned with the family of foremost evangelist, Billy Graham, who died on Wednesday at the of 99.
Graham died at 8 a.m. (1300 GMT) at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, according to Jeremy Blume, a spokesman for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
The evangelist brought his “Billy Graham Crusades” around the world, preaching to more than 210 million people in 185 countries and territories, the ministry said.
Graham, known as a friend of U.S. presidents from Truman to Nixon and Obama, preached his final revival meeting in New York in 2005 at the age of 86.
Trump, in a tweet said: “The GREAT Billy Graham is dead. There was nobody like him! He will be missed by Christians and all religions. A very special man.”
Pence said in a statement that “Karen and I were saddened to learn of the passing of one of the greatest Americans of the 20th century, Reverend Billy Graham.
“We send our deepest condolences to the Graham family. Billy Graham’s ministry for the gospel of Jesus Christ and his matchless voice changed the lives of millions.
“We mourn his passing but I know with absolute certainty that today he heard those words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ Thank you Billy Graham. God bless you.”
Former President Jimmy Carter said he and his wife Rosalynn “are deeply saddened” at the news of Graham’s death and that he was “pleased to count Reverend Graham” as a friend and adviser.
Carter said: “Tirelessly spreading a message of fellowship and hope, he shaped the spiritual lives of tens of millions of people worldwide.
“Broad-minded, forgiving, and humble in his treatment of others, he exemplified the life of Jesus Christ by constantly reaching out for opportunities to serve. He had an enormous influence on my own spiritual life.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, tweeted that Graham was an example to generations of modern Christians.
Civil rights campaigner Rev. Jesse Jackson was among those who paid tribute.
Jackson said: “Blessed with length of years and service, Rev. Graham helped a lot of people against a backdrop of Southern culture. He’s on the plus side of history. May his soul Rest In Peace.”
Russell Moore, the President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, said on Twitter that Graham was “the most important evangelist since the Apostle Paul.”
“He preached Christ, not himself, not politics, not prosperity,” Moore said, adding that Graham also “carried unimpeachable personal integrity.”
Famous U.S. evangelist Joel Osteen said that Graham was his hero, and said the best way to honour him was for Christians to continue what he started.
“Preaching good news and letting people know about Christ and the love and respect that we can show one another.
“I think it’s to continue on in that passion. He took great steps of faith. He paved the way for young ministers like myself,” Osteen said.
Born in 1918 and raised on his family’s dairy farm in Charlotte, North Carolina, Graham became a committed Christian at the age of 16 after hearing a travelling evangelist.
He was ordained a minister in 1939 at a young age of 21. (NAN)
