Contact: Lisa Moseley, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 704-401-2116, lmoseley@bgea.org
 
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 7, 2019 /Christian Newswire/ -- In 2015, then North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed House Bill 540 and passed into law that a statue of evangelist Billy Graham would be commissioned to represent the state in the U.S. Capitol. The North Carolina Statuary Hall Committee officially met in December at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to start the process of installing the statue of Rev. Graham.

"The U.S. Capitol holds a special significance in my father's ministry – he shared the Gospel there and it's where he was given the distinction to Lie in Honor," said Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. "Our hope is that adding his likeness to Statuary Hall will continue to bring awareness to my father's life work of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ and allow the message he preached to be shared with those who visit for many years to come."

The House Bill calling for the statue said, "There have been many great North Carolinians, but few have impacted the world more than Billy Graham." Graham, who preached the Gospel to more than 215 million people over his more than 70-year ministry and counseled countless world leaders, was named North Carolina's Favorite Son in 2013.

The National Statuary Hall is located along the perimeter of the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Each state is permitted to have two statues representing important historical figures from their state on display in the Hall and subsequent Capitol Visitor Center. Following Graham's death in 2018, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper formally requested the replacement of one of the existing statues that represent North Carolina with the statue of Billy Graham.

With only 100 statues on display at any given time, the commission of a sculptor for the National Statuary Hall statue is a rare and unique opportunity. Artists who are interested in being considered for this commission can find full request for qualifications specifications at:
bit.ly/NC-Statuary-Hall-BillyGraham-RFQ.

About the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) proclaims the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the world by every effective means available. From its headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., the BGEA directs a wide range of domestic and international ministries, including: large-scale festivals led by evangelists Franklin Graham and Will Graham; The Billy Graham Library; The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove, located outside of Asheville, N.C.; SearchforJesus.net, an Internet evangelism project reaching thousands of people for Christ online; and many others through print, television, telephone, radio and the Internet. For more information, please visit www.billygraham.org. Get news updates on Twitter at twitter.com/BGEAnews.