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Amanda Blackburn’s Funeral Draws Crowd Of Over 2,000

By Lindsay McCane
Published on: 08:51 PST, Nov 16, 2015

Amanda Blackburn’s life was something to be celebrated, which is why her funeral drew a crowd of over 2,000 people.

People poured into the auditorium of Traders Point Christian Church on Sunday to celebrate the life of Blackburn, the pregnant pastor’s wife who was shot in the head on Tuesday.

As people made their way into the auditorium, pictures of Amanda Blackburn filled the large screens. Some showed her decorating her Christmas tree, while others portrayed a happy wife making silly faces with her husband, Davey Blackburn.

The pastor of their home church in South Carolina led the service, offering words of encouragement to Davey and his family.

“Some people have funerals, and then some people have celebrations,” pastor Perry Noble said. “And in the 28 years that she was with us, Amanda gave us a lot to celebrate, would you agree?”

“He [God] is what made Amanda special; He is why we’re celebrating her life; He is why we loved her so much, because He just radiated out of her,” Noble continued.

Amanda Blackburn’s funeral was put together with the help of several churches, including New Spring Church, the church the Blackburns attended in South Carolina, and Resonate Church, the Indy Star reported. Members of the Resonate’s worship team provided music for the service. A video later played on the screen, showing Amanda’s family members and church members taking time to remember the young mother, who was 12 weeks pregnant at the time of her death.

“Amanda was a gift from Day One. I’m not just exaggerating because I’m emotional right now and I’m sad. That girl didn’t give me five minutes worth of trouble in her life,” Amanda Blackburn’s mother, Robin Byars, said in the video.

“If I could be like Amanda I’d want to just live my life in such a way that leaves a legacy that the way her life has obviously left,” one member of Resonate Church said, according to WIAT.

Although the auditorium was full of people mourning the loss of Amanda, Noble tried his best to lift everyone’s spirits, sharing humorous anecdotes.

“I remember thinking about Davey, something’s not right with that boy,” Noble said, recalling the time he met the couple when they were only engaged. “They walked in and I said that thing that hasn’t been quite right with Davey just got made right when she walked in. She truly was the person that completed him and made him a better man.”

Noble then addressed the crowd, explaining that there are sometimes things that happen, and although we may not understand why at the time, God has a plan for everyone.

“There are some things that He does that we don’t understand,” Noble said, “The Bible says very clearly His ways are higher than our ways and I don’t understand when He chooses to use something like this; I just know that He does.”

According to a previous report by WishTV8, Amanda Blackburn was fatally shot during a home invasion last week in the 2800 block of Sunnyfield Court on the northwest side of Indianapolis. She was transported to IU Health Methodist Hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries on Thursday. The Marion County Coroner’s Office declared her death a homicide and said they believed she was killed while trying to defend herself during a burglary.

“Such a terrible thing happened yesterday and we want to make sure that everybody out here knows that we support them, that we are here, we’ve been here, and we’re going to keep coming here,” Commander Dawn Snyder said.

“What happened yesterday is pure evil. It is a terrible thing to happen to this family and to our community,” she continued, “It’s just pure evil. I know that we’re going to find the people responsible for this and they will be held accountable.”

[Image via Resonate Church]

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