Billy Graham held Crusades in St. Louis, Missouri in 1953, 1973, and 1999. This year marks the 20^th anniversary of his last Crusade in St. Louis, which filled the 40,000 seat TWA Dome over the course of the four-night event.

Before the Crusade, a reporter asked Graham what he expected when he faced God after death. He commented saying he wasn’t expecting a “big reception.” Billy Graham continued to say, “I am expecting just to get to heaven by God’s grace and his mercy, because I am a sinner. I have broken his laws. I’ve sinned against him. I deserve judgment. I am going (to heaven) because God is a God of grace and love and mercy. I pray the prayer: God be merciful to me, a sinner.”

This month’s archive feature is a trophy depicting the Gateway Arch in St. Louis on a marble base given to Billy Graham at the opening of the St. Louis Crusade in 1999 by Mayor Clarence Harmon. The trophy reads, “Clarence Harmon, Jr., Mayor 1997-2001, Presented to Rev. Billy Graham with deep admiration.”

See more from the archive collection.