A California megachurch is attempting to bring a family’s 2-year-old girl back to life through prayer.
Andrew and Kalley Heiligenthal suddenly lost their toddler, Olive Alayne, early Saturday when she stopped breathing, said the couple and their house of worship, Bethel Church.
The child was taken to a hospital in Redding, where she was declared dead, and then to the Shasta County Coroner’s Office. Her cause of death is unclear.
The couple on Saturday appealed to their friends, family and fellow congregants to “gather to pray for a miracle of resurrection (the basis for which is modeled by Jesus in the New Testament of the Bible),” the church said in a statement Wednesday.
“Bethel Church believes in the stories of healing and physical resurrection found in the Bible (Matthew 10:8), and that the miracles they portray are possible today,” the statement said.
The child’s mother, Kalley, a local singer and songwriter, also reached out for prayers to bring back her toddler in an Instagram post.
“We believe in a Jesus who died and conclusively defeated every grave, holding the keys to resurrection power. We need it for our little Olive Alayne, who stopped breathing yesterday and has been pronounced dead by doctors,” she wrote.
“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. 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.”
Since then, the church has hosted daily “prayer and worship gatherings which consist of singing and prayer,” it said.
“This is the first-ever public gathering of prayer for resurrection that Bethel has hosted,” the statement said.
On Tuesday, Kalley posted a video of the congregants dancing and chanting, “All hail.”
“This is awakening. Come alive, Olive!,” she captioned the video.
A GoFundMe page was also set up by friends and co-workers of the girl’s mom to help with any medical or other expenses. It had raised $42,000 of its $100,000 goal by Wednesday night.