Christian leader Franklin Graham will be the keynote speaker for the annual Hope Center Benefit Dinner at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 1, it was announced Monday.
The theme for this year's event, which will be held at the General Morgan Inn, will be "Words of Hope," according to Chairpersons Cynthia Wolcott and Daniel Wolcott.
Daniel Wolcott is president and CEO of Takoma Regional Hospital.
Graham, a son of famed evangelist Billy Graham, who is now in his mid-90s, is president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelic Association (BGEA) and conducts festivals around the world as an evangelist for the association.
Since his first evangelistic event in 1989, he has preached to more than seven million people in cities from Johannesburg, South Africa, to Tupelo, Miss.
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association appointed Franklin Graham chief executive officer in 2000 and president of the organization in 2001.
He has served as first vice-chairman of the BGEA since 1995.
Graham is also the president and chief executive officer of the international relief organization, Samaritan's Purse.
Samaritan's Purse provides relief and assistance in more than 100 countries worldwide.
All proceeds from this event will benefit the Hope Center, which operates entirely on donations. Since January the Hope Center has provided care for almost 450 families.
"We are blessed to have such an incredible speaker for our Hope Center dinner this year," said Frank Woods, president and chief executive officer of Free Will Baptist Family Ministries.
"Mr. Graham has inspired thousands through his speaking and evangelistic work."
The Hope Center provides a 24-hour telephone hotline, free pregnancy tests, maternity clothing, baby clothes and supplies, education about fetal development, alternatives to abortion, post-abortion counseling, parenting classes, baby care classes and nutrition classes, as well as adoption information and referrals to a licensed adoption agency and referrals to maternity homes.
For more information on the Hope Center or the Nov. 1 dinner, please contact Sharon Hodgens, director of the Hope Center, at 423-638-5433.
