HOWARD COUNTY, Texas — A church congregation in Venus held a special service in support of their senior pastor who lost his wife and daughter in a car crash Saturday afternoon.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the accident happened at 2:30 p.m. on I-20 East in Howard County, which is located in West Texas in the Big Spring area.
The DPS report says a vehicle was driving when it struck a guardrail on the inside border of the interstate. The guardrail then entered the vehicle, injuring everyone inside.
Senior Pastor Mark McDaniel of the New Hope Community Church was driving the vehicle and had minor injuries, according to Texas DPS.
The backseat passenger, who officials only identified as a 17-year-old girl, died at the scene, according to the report. Church members identified her as Hannah, Pastor McDaniel's youngest daughter.
The front seat passenger, identified as the pastor's wife Brandi McDaniel, died after she was taken to a hospital.
Watch the full interview with Mark McDaniel here:
The following morning, New Hope members held a service to support Pastor Mark, his oldest daughter and his wife's mom.
The livestreamed service was filled with music, scripture readings, prayers from the congregation, and comments from online supporters.
One man said toward the beginning of the service that it would focus more on supporting the pastor's family and finding strength in their faith instead of simply grieving.
"We don't want to turn this into a memorial service," he said. "We want it to be a service where we can lean in to 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."
Editor's Note: Pastor McDaniel spoke with WFAA about the crash. Watch and read his interview here.
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