A Texas pastor and his three sons were killed in a car crash just hours
after he graduated from Bible college. The pastor’s wife and daughter
also sustained serious injuries.
According to The Christian Post,
Pastor Israel Avelar, 46, and his sons Kevin, 17, Daniel, 14, and
Matthew, 6, all died in the crash. Avelar’s wife, Hilda, 41, and
daughter Kimberly, 11, are currently recovering in a hospital and it is
reported that their condition is improving although Mrs. Avelar’s facial
reconstruction surgery had to be postponed because her injuries were so
severe they required a specialist.
Blake Holland, a reporter who rushed to the scene of the crash stated,
“When I got on scene what I initially saw was quite a mess of an
accident; probably the worst I’ve ever seen, several fatalities and
several people injured and a lot of the vehicles that were involved you
couldn’t even really make out what kind of vehicles they were before the
accident happened.”
Police told local station KGAS that Avelar’s son Kevin was driving the
family’s GMC Savana when the vehicle was struck from behind by a Chevy
Tahoe which pushed the Avelar’s vehicle into the path of an 18-wheeler,
causing the grisly crash.
Avelar had just graduated with his degree in Pastoral Theology and
Christian Leadership from the Instituto Biblico Bautista Libertad
(Freedom Baptist Bible Institute). Avelar was also the pastor of Temple
Baptist Church in Lexington.
“God makes no mistakes. 3 years ago, Pastor Israel avelar decided to
join the [sic] program of distance education of our institute. Finished
the program and last Friday he received his diploma in pastoral
theology. Saturday to return to his home in Lexington, God took him to
his presence with their three children in a car accident. Please
continue praying for the SR. Hilda, the family avelar, and the Bible
Baptist Temple of Lexington,” said a statement from the Freedom Baptist
Church, where the graduation ceremony was held.
Many people spoke highly of Avelar and his family, and his service to the community.
“He loved his church members. He loved his family. He would always call
us. They were all loveable. It’s some words that I just can’t, to me
they were like family, personal family,” said Rita Aleman who works at
the Institute from which Avelar graduated.
A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help the family raise money for
funeral costs. Thus far, $12,000 out of $90,000 has been raised.
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