INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - Billy Graham's final crusade in Indianapolis was 1999 at the RCA Dome. Nearly 200,000 people attended the four night crusade to hear the famous evangelist and his familiar message.
Ed Simcox remembers that experience well. He was chairman of the 1999 crusade and spent nearly every minute with Billy Graham.
"He was larger than life. He would light up a room when he walked in," said Simcox.
600 churches spent a year preparing for the crusade. When Billy Graham finally arrived in Indianapolis, he wanted to know only one thing.
"He sat down and asked one question, I'd like to know how many people have been praying for the crusade. That was it," said Simcox, "To him, the success of the crusade depended on how many people were praying."
Prayers ere answered. 15,000 people committed their lives to Christ that week or re-committed their faith because of Billy Graham.
"I encountered a man that was a truck driver, driving through the city and by chance, not planned on his part, discovered the crusade was going on, parked the truck, walked in and his life was changed," said Simcox.
The week before the crusade, Billy Graham met Arie Luyendyk and Al Unser Jr before delivering the invocation at the 1999 Indy 500. Simcox says he will always remember Graham's humility and focus on the most important thing.
"He was all about evangelism. First last and always. It was all about evangelism. It was bringing people to a recognition of faith, bringing them to a recognition and appreciation of who Jesus is and who Jesus can be in their lives," said Simcox.