For a man who has welcomed crowds his whole life, the evangelist Billy Graham appeared humbled and a bit embarrassed to be before this one Thursday in a parking lot near the Charlotte airport.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of friends, family members, ministers and politicians had gathered to dedicate a library celebrating the ministry of Mr. Graham, whose vast popularity lent him the title \u201cAmerica\u2019s pastor.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Standing on a platform before the Billy Graham Library, former President George Bush delivered the keynote address, his voice cracking into a sob as he said Mr. Graham was \u201cthe man, the preacher, the humble farmer\u2019s son who changed the world.\u201d\u009d Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton also spoke of how Mr. Graham had transformed their lives.<\/p>\n
Infirm and rarely appearing in public now, Mr. Graham approached the dais using a walker and noted the sense of completion and twilight that marked the speeches before his.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I\u2019ve been attending my own funeral, listening to all these speeches,\u201d\u009d he said to the crowd\u2019s nervous laughter. \u201cI\u2019ve been here at the library once, and my one comment when I toured it was that it is too much Billy Graham. My whole life has been to please the Lord and honor Jesus, not to see me and think of me.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Initiated by the Rev. Franklin Graham, Mr. Graham\u2019s older son, and board members of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, the library is to serve as a tribute to the 60 years of Mr. Graham\u2019s ministry around the world.<\/p>\n