Warner Robins preachers once made a bold offer to Billy Graham

In 1966, Warner Robins was still a young, fledgling community while the Rev. Billy Graham was an international superstar.

But a group of local preachers came up with a bold idea.

They thought it would give the city some notoriety if they could get Graham, who typically preached at much larger venues, to come and do a crusade at the local high school football stadium. It was practically like trying to get the Beatles to come to Warner Robins.

They recruited Ed Barker, who was president of the chamber of commerce, to lead a delegation to approach Graham. Barker, who later become a state senator representing Warner Robins, the Rev. Sydney Odom and the Rev. Marvin Randolph went to Greenville, South Carolina, where Graham was having a crusade.

Barker said they were initially shooed away by Graham's staff, who said large donors to his ministry couldn't even get in to talk to him. But they were persistent, and eventually got to meet with Graham. They argued that Warner Robins was the International City and if he came there people would hear his message and carry it around the world.

Graham was intrigued, but said his schedule was booked. He sent an associate pastor to do a crusade without him.

Barker said it was not a disappointment. They filled the arena and hundreds of people answered the altar call.

"He probably did as good a job as Billy Graham would have," Barker said of the speaker who came, although he could not remember his name.

But what he remembered most was that in Greenville, Graham invited them to the crusade and mentioned them in his talk. In front of thousands of people Graham acknowledged the group from Warner Robins and thanked them for making the trip to invite him to their city.

Barker was among many posting remembrances of Graham on social media after news of his death began to spread Wednesday. Graham died at his home in Montreat, North Carolina. He was 99.

The Rev. Benny Tate, pastor of Rock Springs Church near Forsyth, visited Graham at his home in 2011 when Tate was president of Congregational Methodist Church. He said Graham lived in a modest cabin on a mountain and everything else about him was modest.

Graham was known for having close relationships with every U.S. president going back to Harry Truman.

"I remember a lot of things about the conversation," Tate said. "When I talked about Reagan he started crying. He said 'I was closer to him than any of the presidents.'"

Tate said he was moved when he heard the news of Graham's death.

"I think it’s a great loss to our nation," Tate said. "He set a wonderful example of what a minister should be."

Jim Elliott, city attorney for Warner Robins, never met Graham but saw him speak in the early 1970s. Elliott was in his early teens and traveled on a church bus to see a Graham crusade at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.

"I just remember an incredibly crowded stadium," Elliott said. "I had been to Braves and Falcons games there but I just remember noticing a markedly different tone. It was calm."

Elliott said he remembers that Graham spoke for probably about an hour.

"You would think at that age it would be hard to pay attention for that long, but I remember he held my attention the whole time," Elliott said.

This story was originally published February 21, 2018 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Warner Robins preachers once made a bold offer to Billy Graham."