Billy Graham Followers Want Trump to Give Evangelist a National Holiday – By Bill Hoffman (newsmax.com) / March 5 2018
A grassroots effort is underway to establish a national holiday honoring famed TV evangelist Billy Graham.
More than 66,000 supporters of Graham have signed a petition on Change.org, asking President Donald Trump and lawmakers in Washington to create an annual day of remembrance for Graham, who died last month at the age of 99.
“Let’s get a National Holiday for Billy Graham! Mr. Graham preached the Gospel to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history — nearly 215 million people in more than 185 countries and territories,” the petition reads.
“Hundreds of millions more have been reached through television, video, film, and webcasts. Mr. Graham’s counsel was sought by presidents, and his appeal in both the secular and religious arenas is evidenced by the wide range of groups that have honored him …”
“Help us with our cause of setting a national holiday to remember this great man.”
The petition calls on President Donald Trump, Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis and state Sen. Jerry Tillis, all of North Carolina, and the U.S. Senate and House to take note of the request.
Graham, who died Feb. 21 at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, became the first private citizen since civil rights icon Rosa Parks to lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol. He was laid to rest Friday next to his beloved wife, Ruth, at the library that bears his name in west Charlotte.
One petitioner, Tracy Hawkins, wrote: “A man that has changed millions of lives and has made such an impact on the world deserves a national Holiday.”
Another, Emma Reeves, wrote: “Billy Graham was an icon and beloved servant of God. This is the least we can do to honor him.”
The petition, created seven days ago by a change-org user named Kyle Siler, would likely face an uphill battle because of concerns over the separation of church and state.
While the Dr. Martin Luther King was an ordained Baptist minister and is recognized with a national holiday, he is viewed as more as a civil rights leader than a religious figure.
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/billy-graham-national-holiday-petition/2018/03/05/id/846831/
