The Montreat, North Carolina home of the late evangelist Billy Graham and his wife Ruth, has been transformed into a retreat center for pastors in need of restoration.
According to the website Billy’s Home Place, the initiative was a joint effort by Graham’s daughter, who’s also named Ruth, a local businessman, and actor and professing Christian Kirk Cameron.
It “offers several experiences designed to rejuvenate pastors and help believers discover God’s will through diving deep into God’s Word,” the website says, adding, “If you serve as a vocational missionary or pastor with 20 or more years, take a few moments and fill out the Pastoral Rest and Sabbatical Form. There is no charge for pastors or missionaries who stay at Billy’s Home Place.”
As reported by The Christian Post, Ruth put her parents’ first home up for sale with a price of $599,000, as an attempt to raise funds for her daughter’s medical treatments. According to Redfin, the house was sold for $750,000 on Sept. 1, 2021.
At the time, Ruth told The Christian Post that her parents first bought the home in 1940.
“It was selected because it was right across the street from my grandparents,” she said. “I was born during the time my family lived in the house. The Los Angeles Crusades and [my father’s] tour of England happened during those years. … it is where it all began.”
The Grahams later moved from the two-story house in 1957, but still lived in Montreat. In recent years, the property would be used as a vacation rental before finally being sold in 2021. The home still remains in good condition and contains memorabilia from the Grahams’ young family life, including photos, books, and furnishings.
“Rich in Christian history and gospel-legacy, this humble estate is more than a standing relic of a life well lived. Rather this house serves as a continuation of Dr. Graham’s legacy,” Billy’s Home Place states. “A retreat for weary pastors and missionaries; a solace to seek the face of God. It is to that end that Billy’s Home Place was established.”
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Elle Mundus
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.