What do Katy Perry, Denzel Washington and George Stephanopoulos have in common with Dayton Youth Radio producer Brittney Murphy? They're all PKs or preacher's kids. 17 year old Brittney shares her memories of her father.
Me being able to accept Christ as my holy savior is thanks to Reverend George Dean Murphy Junior, my pastor and my father.
Imagine instruments playing, children and adults singing, and a pastor that keeps you in the presence of the Lord.
My father started off preaching with the friend of his named Settle Townsend. Then my father noticed a struggling church with about six to seven members. They were about to be left without a pastor because their's had lost hope in the function of the church, but my father believed that where as few as two or three are gathered in the Lord's name, He will be present. So he decided to step in.
My dad always referred to the congregation as "the faithful few." The name of our church is God's Vision. Our church is in the Residence Park neighborhood of Dayton. It's around the corner from a famous barbecue place called Shields. Since there were a small amount of members, my mother would pick them up every Sunday for service and every Wednesday for Bible study. If someone missed church, my father would make it his mission to stop by the house, give them a brief word or prayer.
I was tasked with singing the opening song for church every Sunday. My dad's favorite song for me to sing is "He's Abel" by Kurt Franklin. He told me that if anything could get him in touch with the spirit, it would be the joy across my face when I felt and sang the music.
Being a pastor's daughter means you're held to certain standards. I got called the good girl more than the good kids. Just because I'm a preacher's kid, it's expected that everything I say must be sweet and angel-like, but that's not the case. No one expects me to break a rule, curse or do anything that might not be acceptable. Honestly, I try to live up to those standards. Being a pastor's kid has its perks, though, because I was spoiled; anything I asked for, I could have.
My biggest high school heartbreak is the loss of my father. He passed away last year on May 22, 2018. It was towards the end of my freshman year. The passing of my father was so hard to handle and understand, but I knew he was going to be in a better place. I know that I'll see my father soon because that's what the Lord promised. My brother Terry Murphy stepped in as acting minister and it's almost as if he's the spitting image of my father.
I wish my dad was here. He would be proud of me. This wouldn't be the story I would present personally if he was here. But I know that any story I presented that was from the heart, he would have been proud of me. And I hope that he's watching me from heaven, or you know, some say it's a holding place and that people aren't in heaven yet, but they're waiting for their spot. And I just hope that my dad is looking down on me from wherever he is. And I know that whereever he is, it's amazing because God placed him there.
Brittney Murphy is a student at the Dayton Early College Academy. To learn more about DECA, visit the school's website: http://daytonearlycollege.org/ Special thanks to Anne Rasmussen, Director of Community Involvement at DECA. Dayton Youth Radio is supported by the Virginia W. Kettering Foundation, the Vectren Foundation, and the Ohio Arts Council.
This story was created at the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO.