Nike Ladapo shares a birthday week with Billy Graham, and the soon-to-be 50-year-old Texas woman is following his lead on the most fulfilling way to celebrate a milestone birthday.
For Graham’s 95th birthday on Nov. 7, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is kicking off a weeklong endeavor to reach the country with the gospel. On Nov. 3-9, more than 22,000 churches are participating in “My Hope America with Billy Graham,” reaching out with the love and Good News of Christ in homes and other venues across the country.
Ladapo, a member of the Dallas-area Prestonwood Baptist Church, signed up after a Sunday service to host a “My Hope Party” at her home. She said she cannot imagine a better way to celebrate her birthday than by inviting family, friends and neighbors to her home and then sharing what Christ has done in her life and how he can transform their lives.
Ladapo was among the thousands attending services at three Prestonwood campuses who viewed a 29-minute video to be shown in the homes of those across the country hosting a “My Hope Party.” Produced by the Graham evangelistic association, the video weaves footage of classic Billy Graham crusades with the testimonies of three people who found God while broken and in the depths of misery.
“Billy told several of us months ago that he believed God had given him one last message to preach to the country, and ‘My Hope America’ was born out of that conversation,” said Jack Graham, pastor of the 33,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church. “We are praying that millions will hear the gospel of Jesus Christ across America and that hundreds of thousands are going to be born again into the family of God.”
Renee Fuller, who also is planning to host a party, said she has no doubt the film will help lead many who do not yet know Jesus Christ to him as their Lord and Savior.
“It’s such a powerful video that I believe people who normally wouldn’t listen or attend a service will be moved by it,” Fuller said.
To learn more about participating in My Hope America with Billy Graham and view the evangelistic video programs, visit www.myhopewithbillygraham.org.
— Berta Delgado-Young is communications editor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas.