Dr. Bill Bright was re-interred in a special garden on the grounds of Lake Hart (Campus Crusade for Christ’s international headquarters).

Bright Memorial Garden was presented to the staff during a memorial service on August 21st. Dr. Bright’s long-time friend and associate, Bailey Marks, explained that, on several occasions, Dr. Bright expressed how he wished to be buried. He desired to be laid to rest tastefully and close to the staff he loved so dearly; however, due to logistical issues, he was buried in an Orlando cemetery after he went to be with the Lord in 2003.

God continued to lay those conversations on Bailey’s heart and mind. So, a few years ago, he, along with others, began to look into creating a small memorial, similar to those of other recent Christian leaders such as Dr. and Mrs. Billy Graham. (Ruth Graham is buried near Dr. Graham’s public library and he will rest beside her at his passing.)

This final resting place is a small, peaceful garden and a two-person mausoleum,  The garden is surrounded by a wrought iron fence and overlooks a small pond. Along the back is a 65-foot memorial wall with over 270 names of U.S. staff who have served 40 or more years with Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru). Each year, additional names will be added to the wall as our staff reach their 40-year mark.

For Bailey and others who designed the garden, the desire was to create a place for prayer and a place to reflect on our past and on our hopes for the future of our ministry.

Please visit e4e’s Facebook photo album of the memorial garden, the legacy wall of remembrance, and the memorial service. (I have pictures of Vonette and Brad Bright, and of Steve Douglass.) When you “visit the wall” in Facebook, express your appreciation to your friends who have served so long in Cru by tagging their name where you find them listed on the wall and by writing a note to honor their ministry. They’ll see your congratulations to them in their Facebook feed.

NOTE: Staff can log in to our staff web to watch a video of the dedication service.