US pastor and wife whose sons were killed in 2015 car accident blessed with two baby twin boys

A US pastor and his wife whose two children were killed in a tragic car accident in 2015 have welcomed two new baby twins into the world.

Gentry and Hadley Eddings have given the boys middle names - Dobbs and Reed - that are the names of the Eddings' late sons.

The devout Christian couple made headlines when just days after the accident, they publicly forgave the truck driver who caused the incident in which Gentry Eddings's car was hit.

A worship leader at one of Charlotte's biggest churches, Forest Hills, Gentry was driving back from his sister's wedding when his car was struck by 28-year-old Matthew Dean at traffic lights. His car then hit Hadley's, killing their two-year-old son Dobbs.

Hadley was eight months pregnant at the time. Their son, Reed, was born by emergency C-section, but also died three days later.

'We have, in our hearts, forgiven the man who did this. It was not the easiest thing to do, but in some ways it was because we know – Hadley and I – that Jesus Christ has forgiven us our debt... So in some ways, it was very easy to forgive a man who made an accident,' Gentry said at their children's funeral.

He asked those present to also forgive Dean, and 'anyone in your life who you hold anything against'.

The couple later said they had found that they had to 'learn how to do things differently', but still had faith in God.

Asked about how they cope with having survived the devastating incident, Hadley told WRAL: 'The only thing I can think of is that if God left us here, he must just not be finished with us. That's the only thing I can think'.

News
Active faith linked to happier marriages and lower divorce rates, study finds
Active faith linked to happier marriages and lower divorce rates, study finds

People who regularly attend church are more likely to report happy marriages, according to a new report examining the relationship between faith and family life.

Indian churches fearing anti-conversion laws tell non-Christians: enter at your own risk
Indian churches fearing anti-conversion laws tell non-Christians: enter at your own risk

Churches in Dhamtari, a town in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, have put up notices warning non-Christians that they enter at their own risk, weeks after a law against religious conversion came into force in the state.

£1k bursaries to help churches develop youth and community mentoring programmes
£1k bursaries to help churches develop youth and community mentoring programmes

Churches across the UK are being offered bursaries to help them establish mentoring programmes aimed at supporting young people and others in their communities.

World Evangelical Alliance celebrates 180th anniversary
World Evangelical Alliance celebrates 180th anniversary

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) has held an online celebration to mark its 180th anniversary. Hundreds of people from more than 22 countries attended, and the event was rebroadcast to accommodate different time zones.