Pastor Rocky Sasaki with Kauai Island Ministries will miss Billy Graham.
“But what he did will live on,” Sasaki said. “He always preached with dynamics and conviction.”
Sasaki has always been a supporter, once visiting Graham’s church in North Carolina, standing on his pulpit, and being impressed with his humbleness and hospitality.
“His presentation is always simple; it’s always the same message,” said Sasaki. “He wants you to go to heaven with him.”
Many leaders have expressed respect and admiration for the evangelist, who provided spiritual counsel for every American president from Harry Truman to Barack Obama.
“My memories of Billy Graham are mainly from my childhood and seeing him on TV with his annual crusades,” said the Rev. Larry LaSota. “I do, however, remember his support of Martin Luther King to fight racism, transcending religion for brotherhood.”
Graham’s crusades even brought him to Kauai one Sunday afternoon on Feb. 28, 1965. He preached to an audience that filled the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall’s 1,100 seats, while several hundred more overflowed into the back and lobby.
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association produced books and inspirational movies that were shown across the Hawaiian Islands, many for free outdoor shows at Sasaki’s previous church in Kahuku on the Big Island.
“Those Christian movies really impacted me as well as the people who came to see the movies,” Sasaki said. “They’ve done so much for the Christian community.”
The Evangelistic Association is working to bring Graham’s grandson, Will, to speak on Kauai in the summer of 2019. Kauai also continues to remain in the forefront of contributing to Franklin Graham’s program, Operation Christmas Child, last year sending about 3,000 shoeboxes with gifts to children overseas.
“He’s among the greatest evangelists we’ve ever known in present day,” said Pastor Tom Iannucci from Breath of Life Christian Ministries of Lihue. “There’s nobody readily available to step up and fill that void.”
Iannucci served as an infield captain at one of Graham’s last crusades that drew 270,000 people to San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium in 2003.
“Just the compassion and the passion in his message that he preached was very simplistic,” Iannucci said. “He was never up there preaching down on people, but he definitely preached an eye-level message of love and hope. His message was consistent throughout the years of his ministry.”
Iannucci related a story when a famous Christian musician kneeled in front of Graham on the stage and kissed his hand. Graham quickly yanked the man back up to look him eye to eye.
“He was a regular guy. He wasn’t a superstar, he was a man of humility,” Iannucci said,
“There was never a sense of grandeur.”
“His unswerving dedicated message in life never changed,” he added. “You could count on him, he was consistent.”
Graham preached the Gospel of Jesus to millions of people for decades, Iannucci said.
“You just don’t see guys like that,” he said. “It’s a great loss, he was very
impactful.”
