DR. BILLY GRAHAM

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30191, 24 July 1963, Page 8

DR. BILLY GRAHAM

Return Visit

Delayed The executive of the National Council of Churches will consider an aHenkatlVe evangelical campaign if Billy Graham is unable to make a return visit to New Zealand in the foreseeable future. It was decided at the annual meeting of the New Zealand National Council of Churches yesterday In a letter to the Rev. A A Brash, general secretary of the National Council of Churches Mr W. G. Haymaker, ass slant to Dr. Graham, said that the evangelist's commitments for 1964 to 1968 were in dikarragr because of his prolonged sickness. It would be late this year before he could do much about plana for the future. With many engagementa of long standing piling up. it looked as though it would be three to four years before Dr. Graham could consider a return to New Zealand. A two-year preliminary evangelistic programme is to be put into operation by the National Council of Churches Mr A. W. Grundy, of the Church of Christ, said it was a pity that one man and his organisation should make, or unmake, an evangelical programme of the N.C.C. An elected body to lead the churches in evangelical work, if it could do so in an effective way. would be valuable.

The formation of a national co-ordinating council will be considered at the next annual meeting.

On the suggestion of Mr L. A. North (Baptist Union), the N.C.C. executive will consider the possibility of an alternative nation-wide campaign of evangelism. Smaller centres wanting to run combined campaigns would benefit from guidance if it was available.