A North Texas pastor lost his wife and daughter in a car crash over the weekend.
At the time, Mark McDaniel, the pastor of New Hope Community Church in Venus, was driving home from a high school basketball tournament when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the guardrail.
The pastor’s daughter, 17-year-old Hannah, died at the scene, while his wife, 51-year-old Brandi, passed away shortly after at a nearby hospital, Faithwire reports. Meanwhile, McDaniel suffered minor injuries from the crash.
On Sunday, the congregation at New Hope Community Church met to grieve the loss and prayed for the family at the service.
"We are gathered together this morning as a group of wounded healers," church leaders said. "It's not a normal day by any means. Each of you have woken up in an altered state of reality. And normal has left the building."
Despite the grief, church members offered uplifting comments despite the tragedy.
“We don’t want to turn this into a memorial service,” the man said. “We want it to be a service where we can lean into the Holy Spirit of God and be renewed so that we can then breathe in, breathe out, repeat, and put one foot in front of the other and move forward.”
Meanwhile, Hannah’s school, Pantego Christian Academy, also expressed their condolences on social media, citing John 16:22.
“Today, we came together to honor Hannah,” the school wrote on Facebook. “She was a beloved member of our school community who left a permanent mark on all of our lives.”
“Hannah was more than just a student; she was a friend, a classmate, a teammate and a source of inspiration to those around her. Her infectious laughter, compassionate nature, and unwavering determination made her a shining star within our community,” the post continued.
The school also described Hannah as someone filled with joy and expressed hope to see her again in Heaven.
“We will meet again and rejoice with you in heaven,” the post concluded, asking the public to pray for the McDaniel family, close friends, and the community at this time.
Image credit: ©Getty Images/Kayla James
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.
