Tara and I saw the tragic news today of the death of Stephen Curtis Chapman’s five-year old adopted daughter, Maria. It’s hard to imagine the emotions that their family is facing right now and they need our prayers. His music has touched so many lives, including ours. I remember attending his concert with Tara in Tulsa and singing “His Strength Is Perfect” with thousands of others. And I remember that he didn’t just sing nice songs; he shared about the love of Jesus Christ.
From his website I found this about the accident:
At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Wednesday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.
More than five years ago, Chapman and his wife MaryBeth founded The Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry’s goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption, and has provided grants to over 1700 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world. Chapman is a five-time GRAMMY ® winner and 54-time Dove Award winning artist who has sold over 10 million albums and garnered 44 No. 1 singles.
As we have considered adoption, we see the work of the Chapman family as a gift of God to thousands of lives.
I found this video on YouTube, a lovely acoustic arrangement of one of his newest songs written for his two youngest daughters, one of which was Maria.
Pray for Chapmans’ son, who drove the vehicle that struck Maria.
Pray for the Chapmans as a family, that they would find God’s strength perfect even in this dark hour.
Pray that God would redeem this situation to awaken millions to the ministry of adoption and international missions.
And, from one of their family blogs, I found this about the tragedy. I think reading it will help you pray as well.
Your prayers are needed for all in the Chapman family. This is a family who has so generously loved and given to so many. Just hours before this close knit family was celebrating the engagement of the oldest daughter Emily Chapman, and were just hours away from a graduation party marking Caleb Chapman’s completion of high school. Now, they are preparing to bury a child who blew out 5 candles on a birthday cake less than 10 days ago. These words are unthinkable to type. And yet we trust in a God who was not surprised by this and because of Jesus I am certain through faith in Him we will see Maria again.