When the Rev. Billy Graham held his last crusade in Cincinnati 25 years ago, African-American church leaders felt ignored by organizers of the area's biggest religious event.

        Many black ministers complained that they were brought into the process late and held no important roles in attracting the Rev. Mr. Graham to the area. They also felt little effort was made by the Graham team to attract African-American churches and congregations.

Volunteers put together materials for the mission. Workers and organizers are a diverse group. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        “In 1977, things didn't go very well,” said the Rev. Damon Lynch Jr., who served on the general committee that year. “When the rubber hit the road, when the big event came, we were kind of pushed to the side.”

        But in 2002, it's a different story.

        Organizers of the Greater Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Billy Graham Mission have given top priority to making sure this visit reflects the Rev. Mr. Graham's message of racial unity.

        Black churches are actively involved in all aspects of the Graham Mission. African-American ministers, such as the Rev. Mr. Lynch Jr., hold key leadership positions on each of the 18 committees helping to organize the mission. The Graham team has even set up offices in Swifton Commons, a shopping center in Bond Hill that is owned by a primarily black church, Allen Temple AME, and its real estate foundation.

        “We went to great lengths to make sure that this is not just our show and blacks are invited, but that this is everybody's show,” said the Rev. Larry Davis, a co-chair of the mission. “We didn't want this to be a white event. We wanted it to be a regional, community event.”

        The 2002 Greater Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Billy Graham Mission likely will be the last visit to the area by the 83-year-old evangelist, who suffers from Parkinson's disease and other health problems.

        The free event is expected to attract 200,000 people to its four days of events, which begin Thursday. An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 volunteers will serve as ushers, sing in the choir, minister in prisons or counsel newly committed Christians. The mission will involve about 1,050 churches and 67 denominations in Greater Cincinnati.

        The mission, which is being touted by local religious leaders as a spiritual salve that could heal a city wounded by riots, economic boycotts and racial tensions, could easily be the most diverse and inclusive Billy Graham Mission ever, organizers said.

        White and black church leaders have been working together since August 2000 to make the mission a reality. The Rev. Mr. Lynch Jr. has devoted months to bringing the event here, putting himself squarely in opposition to his son, who has pushed hard for the Rev. Mr. Graham to boycott the city.

        In March, the Rev. Damon Lynch III and his Cincinnati Black United Front asked “The Nation's Pastor” to stay away from Cincinnati and cancel his summer mission. The Rev. Mr. Graham rejected the calls for a boycott saying it's “God's time” for his mission in Cincinnati.

        The Black United Front, which has called for an international boycott of conventions and tourism, maintains that what Cincinnati lacks is justice, not preaching. And with the event less than a week away, it is unclear whether the BUF and its boycott partners plan to protest the religious gathering.

        “We're not prepared to publicly discuss plans for Billy Graham at this time,” said Juleana Frierson, BUF chief of staff. “But it is in opposition to the sanctions on travel and tourism that we have called against this city.

        “Holding that event in Paul Brown Stadium and asking African-Americans to attend is a slap in the face, especially since that stadium represents a symbol of oppression for African-Americans in this city,” she said.

        Though planning of the mission began before the April 2001 riots, local leaders say the evangelist's return now is opportune. They say they are aiming for a “spiritual breakthrough” in a city that has struggled with race relations.

        The Rev. Aaron Greenlea, pastor of Olivet Baptist Church in Silverton and a supporter of the mission, said expectations for the Graham mission could be too high.

        The Rev. Mr. Greenlea had hoped his group, the Progressive National Baptist Convention, would come to Cincinnati to minister to the city. However, the group cancelled its August visit to honor the boycott against downtown.

        “You can't put the Holy Spirit in a suitcase and bring it here,” the Rev. Mr. Greenlea said. “Billy Graham's coming will help us in a way, but we as Christians of this community must unite and be willing to work together for significant change.

        “If we don't listen to his words and put them into action, then Rev. Graham's coming will be in vain,” he said.

        When the Rev. Mr. Graham came to Cincinnati in 1977, racial reconciliation was also a theme.

        “Make friends with people of the other race,” the Rev. Mr. Graham encouraged on Oct. 21, 1977.

        “The last crusade was not what we would call friendly to everyone,” the Rev. Mr. Lynch Jr. said, noting the music and entertainment catered to an older, white audience.

        “It wasn't bad. It was just that with some of the programming a lot of people didn't feel like it was for them.”

        The Greater Cincinnati mission has tried this time to appeal to a younger generation and minorities with more contemporary Christian entertainers such as Kirk Franklin and dc Talk and Nicole Mullen.

        “We've got a little something for everybody, no matter your age, race, gender or ethnicity,” the Rev. Mr. Lynch Jr. said.

        But programming wasn't the only thing that kept blacks away from the Rev. Mr. Graham's last visit.

        Black churches then were still adapting to the new freedoms that followed the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Many African-Americans also harbored some resentment toward the Rev. Mr. Graham over early views on segregation.

        Early in his career, the Southern Baptist evangelist freely accepted the custom of segregated seating at his southern crusades. But by 1952, he began to speak out against racial prejudice in the church despite heavy criticism.

        The Rev. Mr. Graham, however, has come under fire recently for anti-Semitic comments he made to President Richard Nixon during an Oval Office meeting in 1972. Tape recordings of the conversation released in February showed the Rev. Mr. Graham openly complaining that Jews controlled the American media and were responsible for the spread of pornography.

        He even added that, while many Jews are friendly to him, “they don't know how I really feel about what they are doing to this country.”

        The Rev. Mr. Graham has since apologized for those statements, though he says he does not recall the conversation with Mr. Nixon.

        “I think there was some interest back then, but there were a lot of black churches that just weren't ready to work with white churches at that time,” the Rev. Mr. Greenlea recalled.

        African-American clergy also didn't appreciate being shut out of leadership and decision-making positions in favor of more token roles.

        “When we began organizing the Cincinnati mission, we asked the question, "What would it take to make African-Americans feel good about this?' And the answer was that it takes shared leadership and not just a tip of the hat,” said the Rev. Mr. Davis, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Cold Spring, Ky.

        “Leadership was something we actually wanted to share, not just talk about.”

        More than 40 percent of the mission's executive committee and 50 percent of its committee vice-chairs are African-American. To further diversify the mission and elevate beyond issues of black and white, organizers selected NFL Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz, who is Hispanic, to serve as its chairman.

        “There is a great deal of energy and enthusiasm among the black clergy and churches that are participating in this event, which is a sharp contrast to 25 years ago,” said the Rev. Clarence Wallace, pastor of Carmel Presbyterian Church in Avondale.

        “You can certainly tell there has been a very clear effort to serve the interests of everyone and that is very affirming.”
       
       

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