Billy Graham's Final Goodbye

In his farewell American revival meeting, the Rev. Billy Graham has left it to others to note the emotion of the moment.

Speaker after speaker has called the crusade in a city park "historic" and thanked the ailing evangelist for allowing them to be a part of it. Among the well-wishers was President Clinton who clasped Graham's hand onstage Saturday night and called him "a man I love."

Clinton spoke briefly before Graham's sermon and recalled how the man known as America's pastor had refused to preach before a segregated audience in Arkansas decades ago when that state was in a bitter fight over school desegregation.

"I was just a little boy and I'll never forget it," said Clinton, who was joined by his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. "I've loved him ever since. God bless you, friend."

Graham called the Clintons "wonderful friends" and "a great couple," quipping that the former president should become an evangelist and allow "his wife to run the country."

Graham, 86, then launched into a short sermon that was interrupted by applause five times. Organizers estimated 80,000 people had come to the crusade at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens - about 20,000 more than the opening night Friday. The rally ends Sunday.

The evangelist is suffering from fluid on the brain, prostate cancer and Parkinson's disease. He uses the walker due to a pelvic fracture and is largely confined to his home in Montreat, N.C. He had said previously that the rally "will be the last in America, I'm sure."

Despite his many ailments, he spoke strongly for about 15 minutes, in an address meant to appeal to young people. He peppered his speech with pop-culture references from Madonna to Bono to MTV. He wove a parable about bad decision-making from the plot of "Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith," in which Anakin Skywalker becomes the villain Darth Vader.

"The decisions you make tonight will effect your whole future and your eternal future," he said, before inviting people forward to accept Christ.

The world-renowned preacher has appeared upbeat and has made no direct reference to saying goodbye.

Graham's son and successor, the Rev. Franklin Graham, who has been by his father's side throughout the three-day event, has predicted that the mood will change Sunday. That's when the elder Graham is expected to give his last crusade sermon in the United States.

Marie St. Louis, 34, who attended Saturday's event and planned to return Sunday, called the rally "bittersweet" because it was Graham's last in the United States.

"It's sad because he's such a legend," St. Louis said. "When you think of Billy Graham, you think of a lot of things a Christian should be."

Graham waits to go on in an air-conditioned tent, with aides nearby in case of a medical emergency, and the stage is shaded by a massive canopy. His pulpit has a movable seat hidden from view, so he can sit if he feels unsteady.

The man known as America's pastor is considering a request to hold a rally in November in London, but Franklin Graham said his father no longer adjusts well to time zone changes and does not like to be away from his wife, Ruth, who is also in ill health.

Graham has preached to more than 210 million people in 185 countries. He has been sought out by U.S. presidents and leaders worldwide, and more than any other religious figure, has come to represent the American evangelical movement.

Clinton called the evangelist the only person he has known who has always lived according to his faith. "God bless you friend," Clinton said. "Bless you."