SOWING SEEDS FOR SALVATION

ST. LOUIS -- Sometimes sharing the gospel message is like planting a seed in your garden: You are often surprised at what blooms, said the Rev. Billy Graham.

Despite obstacles like poor soil quality or rocky ground, gardeners keep trying. And just like those gardeners, Graham is determined to keep planting because someday something will bloom beautifully.

The 80-year-old evangelist shared the gospel message with 40,000 people during the first night of a four-day crusade in St. Louis.

Services continue through Sunday at the Trans World Dome. No tickets are required; seating is first-come, first-served. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Graham shared a parable from the gospel of Mark about four different kinds of soil. Scattering seed is the job of an evangelist, he said.

"We don't know where it will lay," he said. "Some hearts are prepared."

During an earlier press conference, Graham said he is always surprised at the people who come forward during a crusade.

"The real work of evangelism is already being done," he said. It's not something that happens during his four days in town, but is a "whole process."

People don't come to see Billy Graham, he said, or to hear what he has to say.

After a while, it is the "voice of the spirit of God" that they hear speaking to them, Graham said.

More than 2,500 people responded to that voice and came forward when Graham extended an invitation to receive Jesus Christ Thursday night.

They were elderly and teen-agers, children and parents. Some came alone, taking bold steps down the ramp and across the floor to the stage where Graham stood. Others walked in pairs -- friends with arms wrapped around each other's shoulders, couples holding hands.

What Graham said sparked interest for many people, some who might just be curious or other who were "trying to find the Lord," said the Rev. Gerald Collier, who is pastor of First Baptist Church in Charleston.

Walking forward to make a public decision for Christ can be a scary experience, he said, whether it's in a crowd of thousands or just a few at a small, rural church.

But counselors -- 6,500 of which were trained to speak with people who came forward during the crusades -- coming forward from the audience at the same time likely helped, Collier said.

"With that many people moving, it makes it easier to go," he said.

For the curiosity seekers, Graham began his first sermon of the crusade with some basic tenets of the Christian faith. He admits that no one has all the answers to the spiritual questions today.

But that offered comfort for many people in the crowd.

Collier said Graham started at just the right point for such a diverse crowd. He spoke in such a way that anyone could understand, he said.

"He said we simply don't know all the answers but our faith makes the difference," said Collier, who has been a pastor at the Charleston church for 11 years.

"It's not by our wisdom, but by our faith," Collier said, that people know God.

Collier, whose congregation is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, has seen Graham speak several times, but he left the crusade Thursday feeling refreshed and renewed.

"It was good just to enjoy the worship," he said. Instead of preaching like he does each Sunday, Collier was able to sit with the 20 church members who also attended and listen to Graham speak.

Several area churches attended the crusade and many of their youth groups plan to attend tonight's Concert for the NeXt Generation.

Attendance typically builds during the crusades, organizers say. But Thursday and Friday night were the nights that drew more than 200 buses from as far away as Springfield, Mo., Indiana and Kentucky.

Church groups from Cape Girardeau, Charleston, Sikeston and Poplar Bluff had applied for bus parking tickets prior to the crusade.

IF YOU GO

BILLY GRAHAM CRUSADE TODAY: Kidz Gig at 11 a.m. with Psaltry the Singing Songbook and a 4,000-voice choir. Concedrt at 6:15 p.m. with music by dc Talk and Kirk Franklin. The Rev. Graham will not speak at the morning evement.

SUNDAY: Service begins at 7 p.m. with music by CeCe Winans and special guest Dr. Benjamin Carson.

WHERE: Trans World Dome, St. Louis.

TICKETS: Admission is free. No tickets are necessary but the seats are limited to a first-come, first-serve basis. Overlow seats are reserved in the America's Center. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

INFO: Call (314) 426-1999 or viist www.stlouiscrusade.org

UPCOMING EVENTS

In September, the Rev. Graham announced two crusades for 2000.

The Nashville Billy Graham Crusade will be June 1-4, 2000 at the Adelphia Colesium. It will mark Graham's first major crusade ther ein 21 years and will be his third in the city.

Amsterdam 2000 is Graham's first worldwide evangelism conference in 14 years. It will be held July 29-Aug. 6, 2000 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. More than 10,000 peoplle from 185 countries and speaking 25 official languages are expected to attend. Particpation is by invitation only.