When Don Graham heard the call to preach while walking across a dance floor at age 16, he had no idea where God would take him.
In 50 years of ministry, God has taken him from Alabama Baptist pastor to worldwide evangelist to itinerant revivalist. And Dec. 14, Graham reflected on where he’s been and preached on as Deerfoot Baptist Church, Trussville, hosted him in the pulpit and at a reception held in honor of his anniversary.
There Graham saw the fruits of his labors as about 30 pastors from Alabama and beyond, many friends and former church members came to express their appreciation.
“It was a great testimony to his ministry,” said Roger Willmore, pastor of Deerfoot Baptist. “Don is a highly respected and passionate preacher. He is serious about his pursuit of holiness.”
Graham’s ministry began in 1958 at Union Baptist Church in his hometown of Lipscomb. The church’s pastor, James Cambron, took him under his wing and taught him “what you don’t learn in seminary,” Graham said.
Cambron ingrained in him a deep belief in the authority and sufficiency of Scripture, a desire to study God’s Word and a compassion for people. He took Graham visiting and taught him how to witness and conduct weddings and funerals, “modeling all things beautifully” for the young man.
After graduating from Bessemer High School in 1959, Graham earned his bachelor’s degree from Samford University in Birmingham and master of divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. His first church was Samaria Baptist, Clanton.
And he never forgot the influence of Cambron. Just as he was mentored as a young pastor, Graham has spread his passion to others. “Hundreds of people along the way have wrapped their arms around me and helped me, and I told God that if He would raise up young men, I would do the same as was done for me.”
And he has.
John Barfoot, pastor of Northside Baptist Church, Greenwood, Fla., heard him preach a month after being saved.
Two of Graham’s messages hold special significance for Barfoot — “Let your heart be broken by what breaks God’s heart” and “Partial obedience is total disobedience.”
“God put a drive in me, and He used [Graham] to do it,” Barfoot said. “If it had not been for him, I would probably still be sitting in a church pew keeping my mouth shut.”
According to Barfoot, Graham taught him to look at the world through God’s eyes. In 2004, he began serving as a pastor.
Graham’s influence has spread far and wide. He spent 35 years serving churches across the Southeast and at one point, in a 10-month span, he traveled 35,000 miles and ministered in 178 churches.
He has also lived out his passion for missions by preaching all over the world. A lot of Graham’s traveling was birthed from a fresh calling to spur God’s people to revival.
In 1972, over the course of a sleepless Saturday night, God placed a burden on his heart for real revival. As he began to study it, it became the “mantlepiece” of his life’s work. In July 1996, he established Don Graham Revival Ministries and began full-time itinerant revival ministry.
“Revival is an invasion of God, when He steps into our contemporary culture and transforms it,” Graham said. “It’s the only hope for America, and that’s why I do what I do.”
So what’s in store for his next 50 years?
“I am 67 years old, and I have made a commitment to preach until the Lord comes for me. I will make myself available to preach as God opens doors. There is no retirement for me,” he said.
“I have a deep gratitude to God for the privilege of being an ambassador of the King. I wouldn’t trade places with anyone on earth.”
For more information, visit www.dongraham.org or call 205-755-7295.
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