Hundreds Celebrate Life of Slain Okla. Pastor
Hundreds of people gathered Monday to celebrate the life of an Oklahoma pastor who was found slain last week inside her church.
Carol Daniels, who was 61 when she died, was remembered as a loving person and dedicated minister of the gospel who traveled 60 miles every Sunday from Oklahoma City to the Worthy Temple of Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko.
Though Daniels didn't have a regular congregation and was sometimes the only person there, the Pentecostal preacher still made the trip each weekend in case someone needed to pray or hear the word of God.
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Tragically, it was during her Aug. 23 visit that she was brutally killed.
"While we may never have an answer as to why, God can and will strengthen them as they go through this time of sorrow. And, we can take comfort in the assurance that Pastor Daniels is now in the presence of Jesus, the Lord she served so faithfully. We will miss her," commented Bishop Robert L. Swain, Sr., presiding prelate of Daniels' denomination, Christ Holy Sanctified Church of America, Inc., in a statement late last week.
According to an initial autopsy report, Daniels had wounds across her entire neck and throat. She also had several wounds to her chest, and injuries to her back, stomach and hands.
Her cause of death was listed as "multiple sharp force injuries."
With the perpetrator or perpetrators still at large, Daniels' brother, Ivan Henderson, urged mourners on Monday to pray for three things.
"Pray so that we can forgive the person who did this," said Henderson, a minister who lives in Cleveland. "Pray that God gives favor to the police and the investigators, that God gives them strength."
Henderson also urged mourners to pray that the person or people who killed Daniels be caught so they cannot kill again.
Presently, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case and has asked FBI experts to help find those responsible for Daniels' death.
Daniels' denomination said this past Thursday that it supports the efforts of local and state law enforcement agencies, local and state governmental officials and the news media.
"We are confident that, as a result of their steady and earnest efforts, the assailant(s) will be brought to justice," stated the nearly 100-year-old Christ Holy Sanctified Church of America, Inc.
The predominantly black Pentecostal denomination described Daniels as a "wonderful, kind, and compassionate Christian servant."
