While assembling a new documentary about the life of Billy Graham, producer/director Michael Merriman came across some little-known aspects of the famous evangelist's six-decade-long career. "Like most of us, I had been familiar with Billy Graham's work over the years," says Merriman, who has previously directed documentaries on Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. "But I never realized the scope of his influence in his stand against segregation, against communism in Eastern Europe, or his stance against nuclear proliferation."

All that and much more about Graham: his childhood on a dairy farm in rural North Carolina, his successful stint as a Fuller Brush salesman following high school, as well as his early calling to be a preacher, his rapid rise to fame aided by media mogul William Randolph Hearst, and his touching romance with his wife, Ruth, are included in a powerful documentary, Billy Graham: God's Ambassador, narrated by Sir David Frost, airing on television stations around the country in April.

Among scenes from the rare footage are some classic moments, such as the incongruous but thrilling rendition of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" sung by the uniformed Red Army chorus at a Graham crusade in Russia near the end of the Cold War, and one of southern blacks and whites for the first time attending a prayer meeting together in Alabama after Graham ordered segregation ropes taken down.

The documentary also offers glimpses into Graham's wide-ranging relationship with world leaders, from his first slightly rocky encounter with President Harry Truman to his later fast friendship with Lyndon Johnson and his touchy diplomatic dealings with the Soviet hierarchy to improve religious tolerance in the Soviet Union.

Most heartening, in light of current world crises, the new documentary from Gaither Film Productions shows how one man's simple message of love and faith can transcend national, racial, ideological, and even religious divides and bring hope to millions around the world.