Billy Graham's daughter to speak in Surrey

By Tom Zillich

The daughter of Rev. Billy Graham is among speakers coming to Surrey for a single-day conference called Women Who Worship.

Gigi Graham, the eldest daughter of the aging American Baptist evangelist, is an international speaker and award-winning author of several books.

The day-long May 28 event at the People's Full Gospel Church on 104th Avenue will also feature speaker Genelle McMillan, who is said to have survived for hours in the rubble of the World Trade Center following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The Surrey church's 650-seat auditorium will host the event.

"We're really not sure how many people will show up" for the first annual conference, said church pastor David Curtis, who recently moved to Surrey from New Brunswick.

"Last year was the first year that they did this kind of conference, in Fredericton, so it's a move out west for them.

"It's meant to inspire and empower women who, through the faith of Christ, are told that they can overcome whatever life throws at them."

Conference organizer and speaker Evangeline Inman told the Now that the event concept is spreading to several locations across Canada.

"We'll have over 1,400 women at the Fredericton event this year," she said.

Inman, a graduate of Christian Life College in Stockton, CA, is a singer, songwriter and speaker who conducted choir clinics throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Gigi Graham has written books including Currents and the Heart and A Quiet Knowing. The eldest daughter of Billy and Ruth Graham, she married and lived in Europe and the Middle East for many years before settling in the U.S. She and her husband have seven children and divide their time between Florida and the hills of North Carolina.

According to the biographies posted at www.womenwhoworkship.com, Genelle McMillan was the last person found alive in the debris of New York's so-called Ground Zero. "Genelle prayed for deliverance and safety," according to the online message. Her story of being trapped in the rubble for 26 hours has been featured in magazines including Time.

posted on 04/18/2005