WASHINGTON -- The body of evangelist Billy Graham, who counseled presidents and delivered invocations at their inaugurations, returned to the U.S. Capitol a final time Wednesday morning.
President Donald Trump and the Republican leaders of Congress gathered in the rotunda and thanked God for the 99-year-old Graham, bowing their heads in prayer and placing floral wreaths beside the preacher's casket.
Members of the Arkansas congressional delegation attended the short ceremony. Outside, near the U.S. Supreme Court building, visitors from Arkansas waited in line to pay tribute to the Southern Baptist from North Carolina.
Graham, the first member of the clergy to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol, died Feb. 21. He will be buried Friday in Charlotte, N.C.
Click here for larger versions
Photos by The Associated Press
Photos by The Associated Press
During Wednesday's service, Trump called Graham "an ambassador for Christ."
"In London, Tokyo, Seoul, Bogota, Moscow, New Delhi, Saigon, Johannesburg and scores of other places all over the world, Reverend Graham shared the power of God's word with more than 200 million people, in person, and countless others through television and radio where people loved to watch and listen," Trump said.
The multitudes who flocked to Graham's crusades included business titans, movie stars, professional athletes and politicians -- plus a couple of youngsters who would later become presidents: Trump in 1957 and Bill Clinton in 1959.
For decades, Graham was frequently referred to as "America's pastor."
In the United States, Graham "led a nationwide revival -- from a large tent in Los Angeles, to 100,000 people in a single day at Yankee Stadium, to more than 2 million people at Madison Square Garden, over 16 weeks in 1957. And I remember that, because my father said to me, 'Come on, son' -- and, by the way, he said, 'Come on, mom. Let's go see Billy Graham at Yankee Stadium.' And it was something very special," Trump said. "Americans came in droves to hear that great young preacher. Fred Trump was a big fan. Fred Trump was my father."
Dozens of Graham's family members attended the service, which featured speeches by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Michael W. Smith, the Grammy-winning gospel music artist, sang the preacher's signature hymn: "Just As I Am."
Members of the North Carolina congressional delegation want to place a statue of Graham in the nation's Capitol, replacing one of former Gov. Charles Aycock, a post-reconstruction North Carolina Democrat who sought to disenfranchise blacks.
[PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Read about Graham’s visits to Arkansas]
The rotunda Wednesday included statues honoring three of the presidents Graham had served: Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan.
Graham retired before Trump took office. But his eldest son, Franklin, has been one of Trump's spiritual advisers and read Scripture at his inauguration.
During his lifetime, Billy Graham appeared more than 60 times on Gallup's list of most admired men.
White evangelicals, who flocked to Graham's crusades, also overwhelmingly embraced Trump's campaign. Exit polls showed Trump receiving four-fifths of the white evangelical vote in 2016.
Trump is scheduled to travel to Charlotte for Friday's funeral. Clinton paid his respects Tuesday in Charlotte visiting the Billy Graham library where Graham's casket was on view and meeting with Graham's family.
On Wednesday, most of the nation's top Republican leadership turned out to honor Graham,* including Vice President Mike Pence and much of the Cabinet.
U.S. Rep. French Hill, a Republican from Little Rock, was among those attending the service. Afterward, he said Graham had left "an extraordinary legacy."
"He was an inspiration to literally tens of millions of people for 80 years," Hill said. "He ran the good race and kept the faith, and now he's receiving his ultimate reward in heaven with Jesus Christ."
U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, a Republican from Hot Springs, described Graham as "one of the great men of this country."
The evangelist "impacted millions of lives with a simple message," Westerman said. "He didn't do it for fame or fortune. He did it for the love of God and for the love of his fellow man."
Lawmakers lined up after the service to greet Graham's children and offer their condolences.
Outside the Capitol, former Fayetteville resident Janet Crawford was among those who lined up to pay their respects.
"Our family was involved in a crusade he did in Denver back in the '60s. That's when I got to hear him face to face," she said. "When he speaks, you just know it's coming straight from the Lord. He's changed a lot of lives. There's a lot of people in heaven now and in the future that will be a direct result of God's using him."
Members of the Arkansas Broadcasters Association, in Washington for meetings, also stopped by the rotunda.
"Billy Graham played a special part in history and we just wanted to pay our respects," said Luke Story, the group's executive director. "To have the opportunity to experience something that extraordinary, we couldn't pass it up."
A Section on 03/01/2018
*CORRECTION: Government officials praised the life and ministry of the late Rev. Billy Graham on Wednesday during a ceremony in the Capitol rotunda. A previous version of this story misidentified the subject of the tribute at one point.