Pastor Greg Locke delivered an emotional message to Global Vision Bible Church after the death of his 20-year-old son, Evan, urging parents to love deeply, forgive quickly, and hold tightly to faith in grief.
Locke shared that Evan died after his heart stopped following a drug overdose and could not be revived. Speaking to his congregation on Sunday, May 10, Locke said moments of tragedy reveal the depth of one's faith. "These aren't just cute songs we sing," Locke told the church. "You find out what you're made of when the songs become real to you."
The Tennessee pastor thanked close friends and church members who had gathered around his family, saying the church would grieve together while refusing to give up.
"There's a season for everything except quitting," Locke said. "That's the one season God never gave you a choice in."
Locke also asked the church to welcome former members and others who may attend Evan's celebration of life service, calling for grace, love, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
"There'll be a lot of people here," he said. "Some people I did not expect to reach out did reach out and ask if they could be here. And I said, 'Yeah, Evan would want that.'"
He urged the congregation to pray especially for Evan's siblings, noting that sibling grief carries its own deep pain.
In one of the most moving parts of his message, Locke encouraged parents not to delay love or forgiveness with their children.
The pastor's words have resonated with many who have followed the family's loss, as he pointed grieving parents and families back to faith, reconciliation, and the hope that God remains good even when life is painfu
