The sanctuary of Family Worship Center had never felt so still. Thousands had gathered. Millions more watched online. But when Donnie Swaggart stepped to the pulpit to deliver his father’s eulogy, the air shifted — from grief to glory, from sorrow to something sacred.
Jimmy Swaggart, who preached to the nations, sang through storms, and lived a life marked by both triumph and trial, was gone at 90. But in that moment, his legacy rose — through the voice of his only son.
“He was fire and thunder. Mercy and melody,” Donnie began, holding back tears. “But above all, he was a man redeemed by grace.”
With the casket resting beneath a sea of white roses, Donnie’s words painted the full picture — not of a perfect man, but of a preacher who never stopped reaching for the cross.
He shared stories of late-night prayers, of his father’s tear-stained Bible, of moments when Jimmy felt unworthy — and of the Savior he clung to anyway.
“He fell, yes. But he never stayed down. And that is the Gospel he lived… and the Gospel he gave away.”
At one point, Donnie’s voice broke completely as he revealed his father’s final words:
“Keep preaching. Don’t stop. The world still needs the blood.”
The room wept. The choir stood. And then came the moment that no one will forget: Donnie picked up his father’s signature microphone and sang the first line of “There Is a River.”
Alone at first — then joined by thousands in harmony.
“There is a river, that flows from deep within…”
It wasn’t a performance. It was a passing of the torch.
Because in that moment, it was clear:
The ministry continues. The message remains.
And the son now carries the song.