The Billy Graham Center opened on the campus of Wheaton College in September 1980. Funded by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, the 200,000-square-foot facility was a gift to Wheaton College in honor of Billy and Ruth Graham, members of the Wheaton College class of 1943. The center houses a museum that features an introduction to the history of evangelism in America and detailed representations of the life and labors of Billy Graham. The center library is dedicated primarily to evangelism and missions, and its archives feature the papers of nondenominational evangelical agencies. The Billy Graham Center houses the Wheaton College Graduate School as well as several departments of the college. Its administration oversees institutes dedicated to prison ministries, Muslim studies, and evangelism. The center is a hub for conferences and, though part of Wheaton College, also serves the church at large as a site for instruction and inspiration for “furthering the global cause of Christ.”

Edith Blumhofer