These are items which are not displayed in our permanent exhibit but are offered here for online viewing.

On May 15, 1957, the New York Crusade meetings began in Madison Square Garden and continued for an unprecedented 16 weeks. During those 16 weeks, 2,397,400 persons attended the meetings and 61,148 made decisions for Christ.

But, a Crusade just doesn’t happen overnight. It takes months of prayer, careful planning, training and mobilization of volunteers such as counselors, follow up workers, and ushers.

Every counselor would wear a “Counselor Badge” so they could be identified by those who came forward during the invitation. Mr. Graham would instruct those who had come forward about the decision they had made, and then he would lead them through a prayer of confession, repentance, and inviting the Lord Jesus into their lives. He would inform them saying, “standing near you is a person wearing a ‘counselor badge’ who will help you understand the decision you have made and give you materials to take home that will help you grow spiritually.”

After the Crusade was over, Robert O. Ferm took some of the conversion stories that happened during the meetings, and compiled them into a booklet called They Met God at the New York Crusade (no longer in print). These stories highlight just a few of the lives that were changed over the course of those 16 weeks. 2012 marks the 55th anniversary of the 1957 New York City Crusade. Below are items displayed from the event.