On Saturday, hundreds of people attended the funeral of North American Mission Board church planter Clint Clifton who was recently killed in a plane crash.
As Christian Headlines previously reported, Clifton died after his small plane crashed in North Georgia on the evening of Jan. 12. He was the only person inside the aircraft at the time of the incident.
Friends, family, and church members attended Clifton's funeral service on Saturday at Grace Church in Dumfries, Virginia. Grace Church was founded by the Clifton family.
"He taught us to be bold when doing the right thing," Noah Clifton, the church planter's eldest son, said, according to The Christian Post.
"He taught us how to have fun. ... My dad taught us that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things and to love Jesus with our whole hearts," he added.
Clifton is survived by his wife, Jennifer, whom he married in 2000. They have five children: Noah, Ruthe, Isaiah, Betchina and Moses.
Clifton was the host of the "New Churches" podcast and served in a variety of ministry positions, including as an elder at Pillar Church, which he planted.
Jonathan Davis, who pastors Pillar Church in Jacksonville, North Carolina, remembered how Clifton encouraged him to plant a church before becoming a pastor and being involved in ministry.
Meanwhile, Clifton's childhood pastor shared Charle Wesley's hymn, "And Can it Be," which he noted that Clifton would often quote whenever he spoke at churches and Christian gatherings. According to the pastor, the hymn portrayed the late church planter's experiences.
"Long my imprisoned spirit lay/ Fast bound in sin and nature's night; Thine eye diffused a quickening ray, I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee. My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee," the pastor read, noting that Clifton often referred to this portion of the hymn.
Colby Garman, who serves as Pillar Church's Teaching Pastor, told attendees that Clifton worked with a sense of urgency and zeal. He added that Clifton believed the time to act was "now."
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Hicco Dodi FC
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
