[1]ATLANTA (BP)–The son of an Atlanta pastor died June 12 while playing basketball at a block party sponsored by his father’s church in conjunction with Crossover Atlanta evangelistic efforts of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Kristen Jarrod Henderson, 13, collapsed about 2 p.m. while playing basketball at a block party being held at Atlanta’s Coan Park. He was later pronounced dead at Grady Hospital.
His father, Marty Henderson, pastor of Mount Zion Second Baptist Church, said the medical examiner’s office reported that Kristen died after suffering two heart attacks resulting from an undetectable pinched valve in his heart.
Kristen became a Christian March 26, and his father said he believes his “happy, personable” son “would probably have become a preacher.”
Henderson asked that people pray for the family members, who are “up and down” in coping with the death, and to pray “for young people everywhere to understand the brevity of life.”
Jack Smith, Southern Baptist North American Mission Board soul-winning/evangelism associate and follow-up coordinator with Crossover, said the death will not change plans for other evangelistic efforts scheduled throughout the week except to urge participants on “to do a better job with more urgency.”
In addition to his father, Kristen is survived by his mother, Joyce, an older brother, Kenyon, and two younger sisters, Jayna and Joslyn.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 19, at 1 p.m. at Mount Zion Second Baptist Church.