Many waved and took photographs of the hearse as it transported the US evangelist’s body from the North Carolina mountains to the city of Charlotte on Saturday.

The 130-mile journey, which included a brief stop at Graham’s childhood church in Charlotte, took approximately three-and-a-half hours.

His motorcade was led by eight highway patrol officers on motorbikes and included vehicles moving Graham’s children and their families.

Speaking on Saturday, his son Franklin Graham said: “My father made me promise long ago that we would take him back to Charlotte after he died, and that’s what we’re in the process of doing right now.”

Firefighters suspended giant American flags from the cranes of fire engines stationed at two highway overpasses as Billy Graham’s body passed underneath.

Franklin Graham later wrote on Twitter: “The outpouring of love we are seeing as we travel from Asheville to Charlotte via the motorcade with my father Billy Graham is overwhelming.”

Members of the public are being invited to visit Billy Graham’s casket on Monday and Tuesday at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, before it later lies in honour at the US…

Nearly 950,000 people have signed up to the Global Hymn Sing which is being organised by the Christian songwriters Keith and Kristen Getty.

The initiative, held in association with the Asian missionary organisation OMF International, is trying to encouragement more people to support evangelism.

Keith Getty told Premier: “Mission – whether it’s ‘me’ evangelising to people ‘I’ work with, or whether it’s ‘my’ commitment to giving to mission, or actually going out as mission – is something that has decreased a lot in the West in the last generation.”

Almost 4,900 churches representing different denominations and 74 countries are supporting the third annual Global Hymn Sing.

They’ll sing the 18th century hymn written by Issac Watts, ‘Jesus shall reign where’er the sun’ – a song chosen by the Getty’s because of its historic links to Eric Liddle.

Looking forward to joining our choir in singing the mission’s hymn “Jesus Shall Reign” with churches around the world!#GlobalHymnSing #TheTaskUnfinished pic.twitter.com/v9TaCkz48h

— Roberdel Baptist (@roberdelbaptist) February 25, 2018

The Scotsman recited the hymn in 1925 when he was asked by reporters at Edinburgh Waverley railway station why he was leaving sports behind to travel to China, where he would become a missionary.

He replied: “Jesus shall reign where’er the sun does his successive journeys run, His kingdom stretch…

The actress – who portrayed the dim but lovable Alice Tinker opposite French’s Geraldine Granger in the long-running BBC comedy – died of natural causes on Wednesday evening, her agent confirmed.

Doncaster-born Chambers also starred as Hugh Grant’s sister Honey in Richard Curtis’ Bafta-winning film Notting Hill.

French (pictured below with Gloria Hunniford) said in a statement to the Press Association: “Emma was a very bright spark and the most loyal & loving friend anyone could wish for.

“I will miss her very much.”

Recalling their characters’ close friendship, French shared a photo of Alice lying on top of Geraldine in a shot from the popular series.

She wrote on Twitter: “I was regularly humped like this by the unique & beautiful spark that was Emma Chambers. I never minded. I loved her. A lot.”

Grant called news of her death “very sad”.

He wrote on Twitter: “Emma Chambers was a hilarious and very warm person and of course a brilliant actress.

The Vicar Of Dibley, also written by Curtis, originally ran from 1994 to 1998 but returned for numerous festive and comic relief specials with the latest episode airing as recently as 2015.

Each episode would close with Geraldine telling a joke to Alice who would either react nonplussed, interpret it literally, or only understand…