Good energy can make anyone get up on their feet — but can it raise the dead?
Members of Bethel Church in Redding, California plan to do just that in hopes of bringing back worship leader Kalley Heiligenthal’s 2-year-old daughter, Oliva Alayne, from beyond the grave with the power of prayer and song.
On Sunday, Heiligenthal announced on social media that her young daughter had tragically stopped breathing and was pronounced dead. Since then, she’s publicly called for worshipers to send their thoughts and prayers for her little girl to be resurrected.
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She wrote on her Instagram:
“We are asking for bold, unified prayers from the global church to stand with us in belief that He will raise this little girl back to life. It’s time for her to come to life… Her time here is not done, and it is our time to believe boldly, and with confidence wield what King Jesus paid for. It’s time for her to come to life.”
Of course, there’s no manual for performing resurrections (the Holy Bible does offer some tips, but that book’s been edited more than Wikipedia), so this is really just playing it by ear.
Her tactics include stomping her feet, waving her arms, and dancing her way from one side of the Bethel Church stage to the other as congregates chant:
“Come alive, come alive!”
They’ve been unsuccessful so far. But the worship leader and songwriter for Bethel Music remains as confident as ever that the Good Lord will put life back into her daughter. She wrote on Wednesday:
“Day 5 is a really good day for resurrection. I’ve never been more grateful for Jesus. He is endlessly worthy of our love, trust, faith, and risk.”
Local station KRCR-TV reported that although Olive has been unresponsive now for almost a week, her mother says she is still holding out for a miracle — and others are joining the choir.
Across social media, supporters of Kalley have spread the hashtags #wakeupolive and #victoriousawakening and described their prayers as radical worship and a spiritual awakening. Some have written:
“Come out of that grave in Jesus’ name!”
Bethel is a Pentecostal church based in Redding, NorCal. It originally identified under the Assemblies of God denomination, but has since switched to nondenominational. Religious studies professor Arlene Sánchez-Walsh told NBC News that Bethel is a church that is “much looser in terms of theology” and operates without supervision from a larger religious order.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with “the unforeseeable expenses the Heiligenthal family will incur, medical and otherwise.” As of Friday afternoon, more than $50,000 had been collected.
It will be interesting to see what happens from here.
[Image via Instagram]
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