In this Oct 26, 1994 file photo, Evangelist Billy Graham begins his sermon in Atlanta's Georgia Dome. Graham, who transformed American religious life through his preaching and activism, becoming a counselor to presidents and the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history, has died. Spokesman Mark DeMoss says Graham, who long suffered from cancer, pneumonia and other ailments, died at his home in North Carolina on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018. He was 99. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

A number of local evangelical leaders were in a reflective mood Wednesday after learning of the passing of Dr. Billy Graham at age 99.

Graham, a father of five, was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Ruth Bell Graham, who died in 2007.

The Rev. Joe Carwile, senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Athens, said he was on his way to the office when he heard Graham had died. A text from his mother came across the screen of his phone. It simply read: “Billy Graham is in heaven.”

“It was bittersweet,” he said. “We hate to have him gone from this side of heaven, but we, as Christians, know that he has received his reward.”

Friendship Church’s Creative Arts Pastor John David Crowe had a similar reaction when he heard the news of Graham’s passing.

He remembers thinking, “good for him.”

“I am happy for him and his family knowing that he was growing old and frail,” Crowe said. “(He) had made statements in the last few years that he was looking forward to seeing Jesus and hearing him say, ‘Well done my good and faithful servant.’”

Carwile recalls the influence Billy Graham crusades had on him as a boy. He said Graham’s purity and boldness have shaped his life and 29-year evangelical career.

Known for his personal integrity, Graham and his team of traveling companions made a pact early on to avoid the sins that had destroyed the careers of other Christian ministers, namely ones of a sexual or financial nature.

“He would have brothers who would travel with him who kept him accountable both in his public and private life,” Carwile said. “He was without controversy, and that is something we as ministers should strive for in our own lives.”

Graham was also known for his ability to reach across racial and religious barriers. A quality that Crowe appreciated.

“He set the example that all people in the world deserved to hear the message of the gospel.” Crowe said. “He showed us that whatever you have or whatever influence you’ve been given, use it to make Jesus known.”

Carwile regrets he was never able to meet Graham in person, despite the fact that their paths crossed a couple of times. Graham gave the commencement speech at Liberty University the year Carwile graduated from there. He didn’t get to get to meet Graham then, but shook hands with the evangelist’s son, Franklin Graham.

About a decade later, while volunteering as a counselor at a Billy Graham Crusade in Nashville, Tennessee, he again missed the chance to meet Graham face-to-face.

“Still, the crusade was probably one of the highlights of my ministry,” he said. “Just to see him preach and touch so many people with the gospel was incredible.”

Graham will be buried next to his wife at the Billy Graham Museum and Library in Charlotte, North Carolina. Graham’s coffin is plywood and was made by prisoners.

About Graham

Considered one of the most influential religious leaders of the 20th century, Graham — an ordained Southern Baptist minister — started his gospel crusades in 1947 after leading a seven-week-long tent revival in Los Angeles.

Three years later, he founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, an organization that continues to direct millions of dollars toward programs that support local churches and continues Graham’s vision to share the Christian gospel throughout the world.

From those first tent meetings in California until 2005, when Graham led his last crusade in Queens, New York, he preached in more than 185 countries and brought the gospel to a reported 215 million people. Over six decades of ministry, Graham prayed with every president from Harry Truman to Donald Trump, and was considered a close friend of Queen Elizabeth II.