The Matthew 28:19 Project

One thing I have noticed during my journey back to the Lord is that when someone dies, as Christians, we often see the memorial service not as a funeral but as a homegoing service. I had never heard of a homegoing service until I started watching all those old Gaither Homecoming videos. When someone was called home to Heaven, they were always referred to as having a homegoing service. It makes sense to me because this isn’t your home; you are just passing through. So, when you pass away, you’re going home. I prefer that to referring to the service as a funeral.

This has been on my mind because today marks the first anniversary of an event that, to my surprise, has left a lasting impact on me. A year ago, the southern gospel music world lost one of its own in a tragic plane crash. Kelly Nelon Clark, Jason Clark, and Amber Nelon Kisler were part of the legendary gospel family the Nelons. They were en route to meet with their group member, Autumn Nelon Streetman, and the rest of the Gaither Homecoming artists in Seattle. All of them were headed on the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska.

It was early Saturday morning, and I was in Quantico, Virginia, visiting my sister for the weekend. As usual, I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t go back to sleep. I was lying in bed scrolling through Facebook when I came across an announcement from Gaither Music Group. I thought Bill or Gloria had passed away, but to my complete disbelief, it was the heartbreaking news that three members of the Nelons (along with their spouses, their assistant, and the pilot and his wife) had been killed in a plane crash. I never cry when I read about singers passing away, but for some reason, this one slapped me between the eyes. I felt heartbroken, and I cried!

I knew about the Nelons because I had spent a lot of time watching the old Gaither Homecoming concerts. I attended the Gaither Vocal Band Christmas concert in Winston-Salem, where the Nelons performed. I also saw them in May of last year at the Gaither Family Fest in Gatlinburg. They sang this song that I absolutely fell in love with. It was their brand-new song, “There Is a Hole in the Heart of America.” I couldn’t wait for this song to be released because I wanted to buy it. They were releasing a new album, so I was excited about that.

That album is called Loving You, and you should get it, stream it, or listen to it however you prefer because it’s incredible. It’s one of my favorite albums. It was nominated for a Grammy and a Dove Award.

The only surviving member of the Nelons is Autumn Nelon Streetman. I deeply admire her. She possesses great strength, grace, and unwavering faith in God. She has said that she no longer asks God, “Why?” but now asks Him, “How?” How can she use this to share His love with the world? She recently mentioned that she knows He is walking with her, holding her hand as she navigates life without her mother and sister.

I saw her at the National Quartet Convention last year, and I’m not someone who typically approaches artists and talks to them, but I wanted Autumn to know I thought she was handling everything with such grace. So, I gathered my courage to walk up to The Nelon’s booth and was able to tell her how much of an inspiration she is to me.

My Ah Ha moment from this experience comes from something I realized while watching their homegoing service. The one thing that stood out to me was the vital importance of having a church community. To have that support, love, kindness, and unwavering faith in God when you don’t have any of that. Your church family will lift you when you can’t even stand on your own two feet. Your church family will pray for you when you can’t even find the words to pray. Your church family will speak for you when you can’t find the words to say. Your church family will remind you that God is good even in the middle of the worst moment of your life.

I’ve had two church families in my life. I have been struggling with finding my place at Fellowship because there isn’t anyone else like me. I could have gone to a different church that had more people like me, but I didn’t. I didn’t because they were already my church family. They accepted me, loved me, supported me, and prayed for me, even when I didn’t know I needed it. I may not have known where my place was, but God did. He carved out a place for me without me even realizing it. He’s sneaky like that.

If you’re feeling lost, lonely, and unsure of what to do, start attending church and continue until you find a church that treats you like family. You’ll be amazed at the impact it will have on your life.

I received my invitation through a place called Calvary, by the precious blood of Jesus; the trip has been paid for me. Caroll McGruder

They sang this song at the 2012 National Quartet Convention and it’s one of my favorite songs by them.

This is their lyric video for There is a Hole in the Heart of America

Here is their homegoing service. It’s very inspirational and showcases how important faith and church family are.