Australian Christian leaders have paid tribute to US evangelical pastor Billy Graham who died on Wednesday at the age of 99.
Billy Graham made his first visit to Australia in 1959, drawing record crowds in Melbourne and Sydney.
Anglican Archbishop Glenn Davies remembered him as a "one of the most significant figures of the late 20th century".
"We in Australia are especially grateful for his first visit to our country in 1959, where his crusade in Sydney of that year had all the hallmarks of revival with increased church attendance, increased candidates offering themselves for the ministry and a marked effect on criminal statistics with fewer crimes being committed," Dr Davies said on Thursday morning.
It is estimated 130,000 Australians responded to Mr Graham's call to pledge themselves to Christ, including former Archbishop Peter Jensen who attended the 1959 crusade in Sydney as a teenager with his brother.
"Like so many others, I came to know the Lord personally through the preaching of Mr Graham," Dr Jensen said.
Billy Graham (centre) with then NSW Governor Roden Cutler at Sydney's Randwick Racecourse. Source: Supplied: Ramon Williams
"He came to Australia at just the right moment in our history. He united the churches and he preached Christ from the Bible.
"Throughout his life, that is what he did, never missing the chance to talk winsomely about Jesus. I thank God for the wonderful gift of this extraordinary man."
After his successful first tour, Mr Graham returned to the country in 1968 and 1979.
Wesley Mission Superintendent Keith Garner also paid tribute to the Christian leader.
"My most vivid memory of Billy Graham is at the centenary of the Keswick Convention on the shores of Derwent Water. I admired his ministry then and since for his ability to make the gospel real to anyone he addressed," Reverend Garner said.
"He had a striking presence; he was also an unassuming, kind, generous and modest man. He could move among people from all walks of life."
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