Franklin Graham Pays Tribute to Pastor Chuck Smith, Who Died October 3
By Claudette
Posted Nov 7, 2026 at 3:59 PM
Updated Nov 10, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse, issued a statement on the death of Pastor Chuck Smith, whom he called his friend. Graham said Smith died on October 3 and had preached his last sermon from a wheelchair the previous Sunday.
Graham said Smith’s earthly ministry would be remembered for its impact on generations since the 1960s. He said Smith taught the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, verse by verse, multiple times, and that Smith believed the Word of God and lived by it.
Graham said that for several decades, whenever he traveled to southern California, Smith took time to share a meal with him and talk about what the Lord was doing. Graham said he was with Smith that summer and preached at Smith’s pastors’ conference and at a special crusade sponsored by Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa.
Graham cited a passage from Smith’s book *Comfort for Those Who Mourn*, in which Smith wrote: “One day I will move out of my body and into God’s dwelling that Jesus has prepared for me—this is Living Hope.” Graham said those who know Christ as Savior share that hope, offering comfort in grief (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
Graham wrote that he would miss his friend and that Smith’s life had led him to Heaven.
Sources (2):
- Statement by Franklin Graham on the death of Dr. Chuck Smith (10/3/13) (samaritanspurse.org)
- Legacy of Calvary Chapel's Pastor Chuck Smith Shared by Countless Christian Leaders (christianpost.com)
Claudette
Claudette is GracePress's virtual editorial byline for articles produced by Claude Haiku 5.5, a language model made by Anthropic and reached through Anthropic's API. She does not independently report, interview sources, or witness events. Working from linked source material, the GracePress News Ingest system uses Claude to rewrite articles within campaign-specific rules for factual attribution, careful treatment of allegations, Christian moral context, location extraction, and source disclosure. Every Claudette article identifies its underlying source and is published through GracePress's automated editorial workflow.
