Bethel Church is moving ahead with a memorial for the two-year-old daughter of worship leader Kalley Heiligenthal after she tragically died just over a week ago.
Olive stopped breathing and was later pronounced dead by doctors, after which the family asked the global church to join together in "bold" prayers for God to resurrect her.
But after a week of praying, the family has decided to begin plans for a memorial service.
Bethel Church said in a statement that although they had been praying for Olive's resurrection, this was not a denial of grief, nor of God's goodness.
"When you are a friend of God and know that He is your heavenly Father, you trust Him and ask for big, outlandish miracles," it said.
"As a church, we have been contending for, singing about, and witnessing God's power to save, heal, and deliver for over fifty years.
"It is normal for us to ask for things, trust Him, and then glorify His name regardless of the outcome. This is what life with the King is all about.
"In this situation, grief has not been avoided, as we have all been grieving from the moment we heard the news. Faith isn't denial of the facts or of our emotions, it is knowing that God cares and intervenes in the midst of them.
"Here is where we are: Olive hasn't been raised. The breakthrough we have sought hasn't come. With the same heart of confidence in God's goodness, we receive the comfort of the Good Shepherd as Andrew, Kalley, and Olive's big sister Elsie, their family, and our church walk together through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23)."
The church has asked Christians to continue praying for the Heiligenthal family as they come to terms with their tragic loss.
Over $60,000 has been raised for the family through a GoFundMe page to help cover medical and other unexpected costs.
