No Billy Graham Souvenirs At Cincinnati Mission

Scripps Howard ^ | June 20, 2002 | Andrea Uhde

[Reaganwuzthebest]

Don't expect to see any Billy Graham bobblehead dolls at the evangelist's Cincinnati mission next week.

And there won't be any T-shirts, hats or other memorabilia for sale that would trade on Graham's name and reputation built during his 50-plus-year career crisscrossing the globe preaching the Gospel.

Graham has "never been comfortable" with mission souvenirs, said Rick Marshall, the evangelist's director of missions. "He didn't want his name put on trinkets or posters or fliers."

That prohibition will extend to business and religious organizations that appealed to the Graham organization for permission to sell their own promotional items at the stadium during the four-day crusade.

Graham officials see their policy against such vendors "as a matter of establishing the proper dignified atmosphere," mission spokesman Rick Segal said.

If Graham's organization did want to market the 83-year-old evangelist, it could find a ready market for merchandise trading on his name and fame, says Ma thew Shank, chair of the Marketing and Management Department at Northern Kentucky University.

"A conservative estimate would be he's losing a million and a half dollars of merchandising sales" during the mission, Shank said.

Shank based that estimate on 40 percent of projected attendance of 250,000 people willing to buy souvenirs at $15 apiece.

"My guess is that people will be so involved in him coming, and since it's such a one-time deal, the likelihood of them wanting merchandise would be even greater than a rock star," Shank said.

People are used to purchasing keepsakes when they go to big events, said the Rev. Russell Myers of the Assembly of God Church in Harrison, Ohio, one of the churches promoting the mission. "I would say a great percentage of people would probably buy a hat or a T-shirt or something," Myers said.

The mission does expect to do a brisk business in selling books relating to Graham and his message, plus music from the artists who will perform during the crusade.

At other missions in cities comparable in size to Cincinnati, an average of 25,500 books have been sold. Selections include "Just as I am: The Autobiography of Billy Graham," the Bible and the "Christian Worker's Handbook."

The ban on Graham trinkets will not extend to the area beyond the stadium property because mission organizers have no control over that, Marshall said.

[RichardsSweetRose]

Good for Graham! Finally someone who is more interested in getting the message out then making money on "merchandise."

[Hacksaw]

Doesn't Billy know that he is supposed to boycott Cinci?

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Yes he does. Thank you, Billy Graham, for being faithful to your calling and to God!

[skeeter]

Something tells me the writer set out to write an article about the Graham Crusade fleecing gullible Christians but instead (to his presumed chagrin) found the reverend to be a honorable man.

So he went ahead and wrote a sneering article anyway.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

He's not putting profit ahead of principle, a big disappointment for those who would tear him down.

[goodieD]

What a rare and honorable man.

[Starwind]

I worked as a counselor in 8 Billy Graham Crusdades.

The BG Evangelistic Assoc was always doing their 'work as unto Jesus'. There was never a hint of crassness or impropriety. They had a rule about males counsel only male seekers, and females only counsel female seekers. Anyone who volated that rule was barred from counseling.

There also was a tremendous amount of prep work before each Crusade getting local churches lined up, selecting counselors, teaching the counselors to follow a consistent and strictly biblical 'gospel' message, and prepare churches for the seekers that were referred to them after the invitation to accept Christ.

There were always tables and tables of books for sale, from a great many authors, some from the BGEA, most from other publishers, but all straightforward Christ/God exalting presentations.

There was never anything proclaiming Billy Graham's name, not a banner, nothing except ad's in papers and radio announcing the crusade. At the crusade, if you didn't know what it was, there weren't any signs to tell you. If you didn't pick up a BGEA hand-out witnessing tract, you wouldn't know who organized the event.

All in all, one of the few high self-less, integrity Christian organizations I've ever known.

Billy Graham walks the walk.

[Michael2001]

This is a guy Evangelicals can look up to. We need more leaders like him