Fox’s first appearance: A new Billy Graham statue is scheduled to be installed at the U.S. Capitol next week, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association told Fox News Digital on Monday afternoon.
“This is a rare honor,” the group said in a statement shown to Fox News Digital.
The statue will be unveiled at a ceremony beginning at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 16.
The sculpture, created by Charlotte-based artist Chas Fagan, shows Graham gesturing toward an open Bible in his hand, the organization said.
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“This is more than just a statue of the Father. This is the Father who gave His life, the Father who gave His life, the Father who loved us and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save us. He preached for more than 80 years. “We have been set free from our sins,” Pastor Franklin Graham told Fox News Digital in comments shared via email Monday afternoon.
“What I am most grateful for is that all future generations who see this statue will be reminded of God’s love, grace and forgiveness.”
For more than 80 years, Billy Graham has preached to more live audiences than any other preacher in history (approximately 215 million people on six continents), according to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association)
The 7-foot-tall bronze statue stands on a pedestal inscribed with a Bible verse that “highlights Graham’s lifelong dedication to sharing the gospel,” the association said.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson will speak at next Thursday’s ceremony, as well as Billy Graham’s son and the Rev. Graham, president of both the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse.
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A spokesperson for House Speaker Johnson’s office confirmed the incident.
Three-time Grammy Award winner Michael W. Smith is also scheduled to perform.
“He wants the attention not to be focused on himself, but on the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Pastor Graham also said, “This is a great honor and my father will be humbled and grateful.”
“At the same time, he wanted the attention not to be focused on himself but on the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Billy Graham passed away in 2018 at the age of 99.
Billy Graham has provided spiritual counseling to 12 sitting U.S. presidents and numerous world leaders. He preached to millions of people around the world. (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association)
For more than 80 years, he has preached to the largest live audience in history, some 215 million people on six continents, according to the organization.
He has provided spiritual advice to 12 sitting U.S. presidents and many world leaders.
“Pastor Billy Graham’s legacy is based on his simple message of forgiveness, based on John 3:16,” said Sen. Ted Budd (R.I.) in remarks shared by the association with Fox News Digital. RN.C.) said.
Billy Graham is one of the few civilians to have received three of Congress’s highest honors.
Mr. Budd was part of a bipartisan effort to install a statue at the Capitol.
“He was the first North Carolina civilian to lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol, and his portrait should forever stand in the U.S. Capitol.”
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Each state can have two statues in its Capitol, but the statue honored must be of the deceased.
Lawmakers passed a bill in 2015 calling for a statue of Graham to be placed over the statue of former North Carolina Gov. Charles Aycock, Fox News Digital previously reported.
The pedestal of the new Graham statue includes the inscription John 3:16 (“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. It is inscribed with two Bible verses. John 14:6 (“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me”).
Billy Graham received the Congressional Gold Medal in 1996 along with his wife Ruth Bell Graham. (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association)
There is also a plaque similar to Graham’s grave marker, “Preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” on the grounds of the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The statue will be unveiled in a private dedication ceremony at National Statuary Hall, Fox News Digital reported.
In addition to the Graham family, Speaker Johnson, other members of Congress and the North Carolina Statuary Hall Commission will be in attendance, according to the association.
Billy Graham stands with his son Franklin Graham. The statue’s unveiling ceremony is scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 16th at the U.S. Capitol. (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association)
National Statuary Hall is located in the basement of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC, along the perimeter of the Rotunda.
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According to the association, Billy Graham is one of the few civilians to receive three of Congress’s highest honors.
He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. He was honored at the U.S. Capitol (only the fourth civilian to be so honored in 2018). And now he has been commissioned a statue to be installed in the Statue Hall.
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The statue of the evangelical leader was created by Chas Fagan Fine Art in his hometown of Charlotte, the association said.
The piece was cast in bronze at Carolina Bronze Sculpture, a foundry in Seagrove, North Carolina. The statue’s pedestal is Salisbury granite quarried in Rowan County.
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