Billy Graham Related Sites In Florida

As we celebrate the life of the late Billy Graham, some of the most important spiritual events in his maturity in Christ occurred in Florida.

Graham grew up near Charlotte, North Carolina, but truly became an evangelist in Florida. Graham came to Florida because of an ad for Florida Bible Institute in the publication Moody Monthly.

Graham immediately acquired a taste for Florida’s palm trees and warm climate. And while in school here, he preached at dozens of churches, all the while attending Florida Bible Institute.

His connections with the state continued on, with rallies through the years and visits with the state’s notable preachers and politicians. In 1961 he even golfed with John F. Kennedy and Sen. George Smathers in Palm Beach. Pictured above, Graham and his wife Ruth with Rev. Billy Osceola.

1. Trinity College: Billy Graham attended the Florida Bible Institute, now Trinity College. The institution was founded in Temple Terrace by Dr. William T. Watson, a fundamentalist tent preacher from North Carolina. Watson housed the school at an old hotel, the Temple Terrace Resort. It is now home to Florida College.
2. Florida College: The old Florida Bible Institute is now Florida College; at the nearby Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club was where Graham received his calling on the 18th green. Adjacent to Florida College is the Billy Graham Memorial Park , where Graham used to walk and preach to himself along the Hillsborough River. An excellent way to experience the school is to attend one of Florida College’s chapel services each morning at 10:15.
3. Billy Graham Marker, Tampa: A marker at the site of his first street ministry is at Franklin and Fortune Streets.
4. WFOY: Graham preached on this station in St. Augustine every morning while he preached a week of sermons at East Palatka Baptist Church. Today, the legacy station at AM 1240 carries talk radio and such shows as Rush Limbaugh.
5. Peniel Baptist Church On December 4, 1938, while he was leading a series of meetings at the Peniel Baptist Church in East Palatka, Florida, he was baptized again by the church’s pastor, Rev. Cecil Underwood (a Southern Baptist), in Silver Lake. Peniel Baptist Church was founded in July of 1852  and in May of 1871, the name “Peniel Baptist Church” was adopted (see Genesis 32:30). The church ordained him to evangelistic ministry on January 14, 1939. http://www.penielbc.com/
6. Welaka Baptist Church: This church on the St John’s riverwas the home of a two-week evangelistic series by Graham. It was there that he developed the basics of his preaching style. While there, he stayed in the home of Cecil Underwood.
7. Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church: Billy Graham’s grandson, William Graham Tullian Tchividjian (pronounced cha-vi-jin), was pastor of the Coral Ridge ministry that was once led by James Kennedy.
8. Lake Swan Camp: This camp in Melrose was founded in 1927 by Graham’s mentor, Dr. John Minder, It has recently become an independent Christian camp. It was there that Billy was first asked to preach by Minder.

[print_gllr id=4596 display=short]