38 october 2025 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida edition COMMUNITY NEWS January 14, 1939… Amid the thick southern live oaks and hanging Spanish moss of northern Florida, a tall, lanky 20-year-old ascended the steps of Peniel Baptist Church in the small town of Palatka, Florida. There, a handful of rural pastors began peppering the young man with one theological question after the other. When it was all done, the pastors — led by Cecil Underwood, pastor of Peniel Baptist — agreed to ordain the young Billy Graham into ministry during a service that evening. “I knelt on the little platform in front of a small congregation and was encircled by a halfdozen country preachers,” Graham later wrote in his autobiography Just As I Am. “I felt the light touch of their outstretched fingers and calloused hands on my blond head and bony shoulders as they prayed me into their distinguished fellowship.” From there, Graham would go on to proclaim the “gospel of Christ … the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16) around the world. Over the course of his decades-long ministry, Graham preached the gospel to nearly 215 million people in more than 185 countries and territories through various meetings, including Mission World and Global Mission. Fast forward to today… Will Graham, grandson of Billy Graham, had the chance to visit Florida earlier this year, tracing much of his grandfather’s spiritual legacy in the state. In addition to his ordination, Florida is where Billy Graham received his formal education, where he was baptized, where he first spoke on the radio, and where he preached his first official sermon. During this same visit, Will Graham began to sense the Holy Spirit’s leading. “As I prayed, ‘Do it again, Lord,’ it became clear to me that now is the time to return to this historic place and proclaim the truth of the Gospel across the state,” said the younger Graham. Sunshine State Good News Tour Soon after, doors of ministry began to open and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association announced the Sunshine State Good News Tour with Will Graham. The coordinated outreach will visit four cities across Florida this fall. The Sunshine State Good News Tour with Will Graham will kick off on Oct. 26 at Tallahassee Automobile Museum Field. From there, the tour will head to Gainesville’s Depot Park for an Oct. 28 event. The third stop on the tour will be Sarasota Fairgrounds on Oct. 30. The multicity outreach will conclude at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater Special Events Field on Nov. 1. The program will begin at 7 p.m. in each city. More than 475 churches across Florida are participating in this exciting statewide effort. Each stop of the tour will feature concerts by award-winning artists Jeremy Camp — who has released 13 albums (five of them RIAA-certified as Gold) and has 46 #1 singles across all formats — and Christine D’Clario, one of the most prominent Latin worship leaders of our time. Along with the music, Graham will share the same Gospel message that his grandfather proclaimed — Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, and the promise of eternity for all who come to Him in faith and repentance. “I’ve been all over the world and have had the blessing of visiting with people from many walks of life. I’ve found that most people are searching for hope, but it’s elusive. It’s hard to grasp. The things of this world can’t fulfill us,” said Graham. “There is no true and lasting hope apart from God. I’m coming to Florida to share the Good News of the Gospel and explain how we can find real hope in Jesus Christ — not just for today, but for eternity.” For more information, downloadable resources, and to get involved, visit GoodNewsTour.com. Sharing the Gospel across Florida at the Sunshine State Good News Tour with Will Graham Will Graham
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