Autumn Nelon Streetman, the youngest daughter and only surviving member of family gospel group The Nelons, vowed to keep singing after losing all of her immediate family in a plane crash on July 26. And she has.
Wednesday night (September 4), six weeks after the tragic crash that claimed the lives of her parents, sister, brother-in-law, and three others, Autumn Nelon Streetman made her solo Opry debut. Autumn, who is seven months pregnant with her first child, was invited to sing a song during Jason Crabb’s Opry set.
Crabb told the audience that he felt like God wanted him to invite Autumn to sing so that she could feel the love of the Opry family after losing her own.
Numerous members of the southern gospel community were in attendance to support Autumn as she took the stage alone for the first time since her family’s deaths. Streetman sang the powerful Christian hymn “How Great Thou Art.”
At the song’s conclusion, the crowd gave her a standing ovation, and video shows many of them in tears Autumns incredible performance.
What happened to The Nelons?
On Friday, July 26, a private aircraft carrying Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason Clark, their oldest daughter Amber Nelon Kistler and son-in-law Nathan Kistler, their assistant Melodi Hodges, the pilot Larry Haynie, and his wife Melissa Haynie crashed in rural northeastern Wyoming.
Kelly, Jason, and Amber, along with youngest daughter Autumn, made up one of the most beloved and legendary southern gospel groups in the genre’s history, The Nelons. The group was en route to Seattle, Washington, where they were to join a number of other groups for a Gaither Homecoming cruise to Alaska. Upon her arrival in Seattle, Autumn, who has flown commercially, was told that her family’s plane had gone down.
RELATED: AUTUMN NELON STREETMAN OPENS UP ABOUT MOMENT SHE LEARNED ABOUT HER FAMILY’S TRAGIC PLANE CRASH
The plane crash rattled the music community, many of whom rallied around Autumn to help her through the tragic loss.
Autumn Nelon Streetman returned to the stage for the first time to sing at her family’s funeral.
Surrounded by members of the Southern gospel music community, Autumn joined Grand Ole Opry members The Isaacs to sing at the memorial service for her family. Less than two weeks after the crash, Autumn took the stage and fought back tears as she sang “Family Chain.”
Just moments before she sang, a pre-recorded message from Autumn played for those in attendance. In the message, Autumn shared how she is finding peace in the midst of an unthinkable tragedy.
“Even though my heart is breaking and tears flood my eyes, I do belive that God gives us something worth trusting. And that is Him and Him alone,” Autumn said. “So I changed my ‘Why’ into ‘What now, God? How do you get the glory in the midst of this tragedy?’ My choice is to trust Him fully.”
She vowed to keep singing and carry on her family legacy as a member of one of gospel music’s most beloved families.
“God has entrusted me with a legacy to carry on and I will seek His will and guidance. I promised my family, as the lyrics to the last song my mom ever recorded on our unreleased album say, ‘I’ll always have a song to sing.”
Autumn’s performance at the Grand Ole Opry Wednesday night was a fulfillment of that promise. Watch Autumn Nelon Streetman and the Isaacs sing “Family Chain” in the video below.