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Amanda Blackburn, wife of an Indianapolis pastor was shot and killed during a home break-in Tuesday morning while their young son sat in another room.
According to social media posts from churches and faith groups, Amanda Blackburn died Wednesday. Amanda was the wife of Davey Blackburn who had served at NewSpring Church in Anderson before the couple established Resonate Church in Indianapolis in 2012.
Davey served as a youth pastor, production director and associate campus pastor for four years at NewSpring, according to his biography on Resonate Church’s website.
Resonate Church posted on its Facebook page that Davey returned home from the gym and discovered that someone had broken into his home and found Amanda with a gunshot wound. Amanda, according to the post, was immediately rushed to a hospital where she later died from her injuries.
Amanda and Davey have a son Weston, who’s almost 1-year-old, and Amanda was 12 weeks pregnant at the time of her death, according to an Indiana organization called The Gathering.
Davey Blackburn released the following statement about his wife’s death:
It’s impossible to communicate all the emotions my heart has been forced to process. My wife was such a beautiful, gracious, loving woman of God. I have not only lost my ministry partner and support but also my very best friend. There is no way to prepare yourself for circumstances like these. As deeply as I am hurting I am hopeful and confident that good things will come of this. I rest in the truth of Romans 8:28 that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose.
Thank you for understanding my desire to take these next few days to continue to grieve for Amanda Grace. My focus right now is to let The Lord minister to my heart as I continue to shepherd little Weston’s. I’ll be taking this time to focus on being a great follower of Jesus, dad, family member, and pastor to our growing church.
Amanda made it her life’s calling to love and serve everyone she knew. Even more, she has made it her life’s mission to see as many people as possible come to know Jesus as their personal Savior. I know that in her death and legacy even more people will come to a saving faith in Christ. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt her desire for me would be to continue what we’ve started here in Indy. I hold firm to the belief that God is still good, that He takes our
tragedy and turns it into triumph, and that the best truly is yet to come.
Amanda’s father, Phil Byars, pastors First Baptist Church of Elkhart in Indiana. The church announced in a Facebook post Wednesday that Amanda Grace Blackburn “has entered the presence of her Lord and Savior.”
During his time at NewSpring, Davey served under Pastor Perry Noble. On Wednesday, Noble blogged about the tragic loss in a letter to members of NewSpring Church. Noble said that Davey had served as the Fuse Campus Pastor at the church’s first satellite campus in Greenville. Noble said it was during that time that Davey married Amanda.
“…In 2012 the Lord laid on Davey’s heart to plant a church in Indianapolis, Indiana. Their dream was to create a place to connect with people who normally wouldn’t connect with church,” Noble wrote.
“At this point I am talking with Davey consistently and trying to determine how our church can best help him and his family in the coming days. Right now I’m asking our church family to pray. Pray for Davey, his family, the investigation, and that justice will be served. As we know more or if there is anything else we need to do as a church, we will let you know,” Noble said in the blog post.
Mike Gillespie, Davey Blackburn’s former baseball coach at Southern Wesleyan University in Central, said he, his team, and former players are doing what they can to offer support.
“We’re just going to let God lead us and just be there for Davey and be there for his son, Weston, and their entire family,” Gillespie said.
Indianapolis Chief Deputy Coroner Alfie Ballew said Blackburn died from a gunshot wound to the head and has ruled the manner of death a homicide.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said Amanda Blackburn was killed in her home.
Agencies/Canadajournal
