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Billy Graham Competition
Speaking for Him was a major task many years later when Church Army appointed me Associate National Director in our New York Headquarters. A young man pestered me to take him open air campaigning. I was uncertain! I didn't want to discourage him, but I was afraid of what might happen. He kept needling and needling. Deep down I knew that one day I would have to go! My secretary in Headquarters became suspicious of what I was going to do next.
One day, seeing me folding a large flag, she hesitantly asked, " Ray, what in the world are you doing now?" "Ed and I are going to hold an open air meeting on Broadway tonight," I told her. "We need the flag to satisfy city regulations." Scratching her head, she replied disbelieving, "But WE DON'T DO that sort of thing!" As I hurried downstairs and out unto the busy street I called back, "I'll see you tomorrow!"
Puerto Rican Style
On that very evening, a young evangelist called Billy Graham, was conducting an evangelistic campaign in our city. Ed and I decided to hold our meeting after he had finished. Ed had carefully worked out a plan! At the end of Billy's meeting, we hurried downtown to a busy corner near 42nd Street and Broadway. We knew that most people would pass by there and at the appointed time tied the Stars and Stripes to a lamp standard and started shouting, "We are Episcopalians, who have just heard Billy Graham really preach the Gospel!"
Another Captain who had joined us roared back in reply, "I don't get it. Why are you shouting about Billy Graham and how well he preached?" Crowds were stopping in the street. Like a hard fought rally in a tennis match, I countered. "It takes Billy so long to tell people about Jesus Christ as their Savior that he can't tell them the other wonderful news!" A large group was now hanging on our every word! "What more news is there to know?" the Captain asked. "You need to know about the Lord's Supper and about belonging to the family of the Church."
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