Tribute To Ruth Bell Graham

Floor Speech

TRIBUTE TO RUTH BELL GRAHAM -- (House of Representatives - June 18, 2007)

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of Ruth Bell Graham, wife and confidante of the Reverend Billy Graham. Ruth Graham died last week at the age of 87, having lived a rich and selfless life of service.

She epitomized the faithful wife and mother and was a close spiritual adviser who probably did more than any other human being to make possible the global ministry of Billy Graham. I doubt whether we exaggerate when we say that Billy Graham could not have been the man he is known as today without the unwavering support of his wife.

While she may not have claimed much of the spotlight in his life, she raised a family that to this day is having a tremendous impact on the world.

Reverend Graham paid her the best tribute. He said that Ruth Graham was ``the most incredible woman I have ever known.'' And when asked to name the finest Christian he had ever met, Billy Graham would always say, ``My wife, Ruth.''

In tribute to her, he said that, ``She was a spiritual giant, whose unparalleled knowledge of the Bible and commitment to prayer were a challenge and inspiration to everyone who knew her. No one else could have borne the load that she carried. She was a vital and integral part of our ministry, and my work through the years would have been impossible without her encouragement and support.''

Despite her declining health in recent years, she always placed her husband and family before herself. She gladly accepted a role in the Graham family that involved offering support, prayer and encouragement. Never one to clamor for the public eye, Ruth nonetheless was a vital part of Billy Graham's ministry. She was a bulwark against the demands of the endless public involvement of Billy Graham's many responsibilities as a worldwide evangelist.

Ruth Bell Graham was born in China in 1920 to her medical missionary parents at a Presbyterian Hospital far north of Shanghai. She spent her childhood on the mission field, and sensed a calling to serve God and give her life to spread the gospel.

Ruth connected with her eventual home in North Carolina when she completed high school in Montreat, North Carolina, while her parents were home from China on furlough. She would later enroll in Wheaton College where she met her future husband, the fervent evangelist hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina.

After no small internal struggle over her desire to become a missionary, Ruth decided to invest her life in the mission of evangelism that so captivated Billy, and they were married in Montreat on August 13, 1943.

As Billy Graham's responsibilities as an evangelist continued to grow, Ruth and Billy moved to Montreat near her parents. Here, Ruth would raise a family of five children strong and stand behind the man who was preaching to millions of people across the world.

Ruth was a woman who lived the written word and treasured the Bible. She enjoyed assisting her husband as he wrote sermons and was an accomplished author herself. Over the course of her life, she would author or coauthor more than a dozen books.

She also did not hesitate to start ministries of her own. Always concerned with reaching out to those in need, whether her local community or the global community, Ruth Graham created the Ruth Bell Graham International Children's Health Fund to help the world's neediest children and helped create the Ruth and Billy Graham Children's Health Center in Asheville.

Franklin, their son, founded Samaritan's Purse Ministry which is based in Boone, North Carolina.

Ruth enabled and freed her husband to concentrate on his evangelistic calling. When he needed someone to turn to, Billy Graham knew that he could turn to her for counsel, encouragement and an intellect steeped in learning the scripture.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Graham family today as they mourn the passing of a peerless wife, sacrificial mother and faithful friend. May her memories serve to remind us of the profound meaning of a life given in service to God and family.

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