Pastor Tony Evans recently announced his engagement to Carla Crummie four years after the death of his wife, Lois Evans. During a celebration service for Evans’ 74th birthday at his church, the senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas was joined on stage by his four children to make the exciting announcement.

Evans’ late wife, Lois, whom he was married to for nearly five decades, died in 2019 after battling biliary cancer. In a video shared online, he told his church, “As I come up to the fourth year of the loss of Lois, my wife of 49 and a half years, it’s a tender time. There are reminders everywhere of her life and her influence on me, my family, and this ministry.” The respected church leader made the announcement surrounded by his children, Priscilla, Jonathan, Anthony Jr., and Crystal, standing by his side in solidarity.

Evans said, “We’re a very close family, and all that has happened in my life, family, church, Urban Alternative, books, tapes, everything has been defined by Lois, so we’ve had over these four years the ups and downs and the roller coaster of emotions, sometimes high, sometimes low, but it comes with it.” Evans thanked his congregation for grieving with him and his family through it all.

The minister acknowledged that Lois’ loss was “outside of our hands. We had to put it in the hands of a sovereign God.” As they erupted in cheers, he told the congregation, “As I worked through the ups and downs of singlehood, God, in His sovereignty, has brought someone into my life. This someone has traveled a similar road. Carla Crummie and her husband were on their way to Lois’ funeral when “her husband died.”

Evans continued, “As I’ve tried to share the ups and downs of my life with you, I wanted to share this and give you the opportunity to meet my new fiancée, Miss Carla Crummie.” The church gave the pastor a standing ovation, but he redirected the congregation to be respectful to those who were still grieving the loss of his wife. Evans reiterated, “It’s a sensitive time. During a time like this, you’re also reminded of loss. And so I want your sensitivity as you pray for me as we walk through this journey, as she walks through the grief that she’s had to walk through.”

The Evans family has suffered much loss in recent years. Evans lost his brother, sister, brother-in-law, niece, and father, followed by his wife. Some deaths were within a year of each other, while his father and wife died within a month of each other.

His new fiancée experienced back-to-back losses as well, with the deaths of her mother and husband within a year of each other. “Just pray for us,” “This [has] already invoked some grief in some people, which I can understand because we’re reminded about the fingerprints,” he said. “The one thing I’ve appreciated about Carla is that she has held Lois Evans high in honoring her legacy here.”