Billy Graham's Winnipeg Connection

City was first Canadian office for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

Billy Graham at the 1967 Winnipeg
Centennial Crusade

Accolades and tributes for Billy Graham poured in from around the world when the famous evangelist passed away last month at the age of 99.

His death prompted hundreds of millions to recall their connection to Graham, either though attendance at one of his many crusades, or by watching them on TV.

For many, the connection was intensely spiritual and personal; it was Graham who helped them make a commitment to either follow Christ, or to deepen their faith.

Winnipeg can claim a special connection to Graham, too, as anyone who watched a crusade on TV from the 1960s to the early 2000s might remember.

The reference always came right at the end of the broadcast. 

That’s when Graham, after speaking to the crowd in the arena or stadium where the crusade was taking place, would turn to the camera and invite viewers to “say yes to Christ.”

If anyone did that, he invited them to write him at his headquarters in Minneapolis for more information.

If they lived in Canada, however, Graham told them to write to him at P.O. Box 841, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

You might be wondering: How did Winnipeg come to be associated that way with the most famous evangelist of the twentieth century?

Therein, as they say, lies a tale.

As Graham became more popular, people in Canada tuned into his radio and, later, TV broadcasts.

Soon, Canadians started writing in to his U.S. address, asking for information, and also sending in donations.

To help with the issuing of tax receipts, and to handle the growing volume of mail, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) decided to set up a Canadian office.

Why did they choose Winnipeg? One assumes the proximity to Minneapolis played a part.

Plus, it was easy to get here back then; you could take an overnight train between the two cities.

In 1953, the BGEA contacted a young Winnipeg lawyer named Don McCarthy and asked him to help. They sent a staffer named George Wilson from Minneapolis to Winnipeg to meet him.

I was not able to connect with McCarthy, who is now 89, but in an earlier interview he recounted what happened.

McCarthy recalled that Wilson spent just one day in Winnipeg. During that short amount of time, “we opened an office, set it up with furniture, hired the first employee and registered the charity.”

McCarthy went on to serve on the Canadian board of the BGEA, and today is a member emeritus. The Canadian office moved to Calgary in 2003.

All told, Graham spoke at 13 crusades in Canada, starting with Toronto in 1955 and concluding in Ottawa in 1998. He preached in Winnipeg from May 28 to June 4, 1967.

That event, which was called the “Centennial Canada Crusade,” was held in the old arena, although there are photos of the crowd spilling out to the nearby football stadium.

Altogether, the BGEA has held over 200 crusades, festivals and other events in Canada, with most led by Canadians such as Leighton Ford, John Wesley White and Ralph Bell.

Notably, it was in Canada that Graham’s son Franklin—who has become an extremely polarizing figure in U.S. religious life—began his public ministry. He first preached in Saskatoon in 1983.

Along with the Winnipeg, Graham’s other connection to Canada was his well-known soloist George Beverly Shea.

Shea, who died in 2013 at the age of 104, became known as “America’s beloved gospel singer.” In fact, he was born in Canada, and joined up with Graham in 1947.

In the wake of his passing, scholars and pundits are parsing his legacy. But most people remember him for the passion he brought to his mission; the millions of people he preached to around the world; for his masterful use of mass media; for his broad ecumenism as he brought together Christians from various denominations; and for his modest lifestyle and humble character.

But Winnipeggers can also remember another thing: His long-time connection to this city.

From the March 24, 2018 Winnipeg Free Press.