NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 21, 2008—At approximately 5 p.m. on May 21, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter of Steven and Mary Beth Chapman, was struck by a car in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, Tenn. Maria was transported by LifeFlight helicopter to Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University in Nashville but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.
“For reasons only God can explain she went home to Him—not to Franklin as we all so desperately wanted,” says Chapman’s manager, Jim Houser. “Your prayers are needed for all in the Chapman family. This is a family who has so generously loved and given to so many. Just hours before, this close-knit family was celebrating the engagement of the oldest daughter, Emily, and were just hours away from a graduation party marking Caleb’s completion of high school. Now they are preparing to bury a child who blew out five candles on a birthday cake fewer than 10 days ago. These words are unthinkable to type. And yet we trust in a God who was not surprised by this, and because of Jesus I am certain through faith in Him we will see Maria again.”
More than five years ago, Steven and Mary Beth founded The Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry’s goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption, and it has provided grants to more than 1,700 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world. Chapman is a five-time Grammy winner and 54-time Dove Award-winning artist who has sold more than 10 million albums and garnered 44 No. 1 singles.
We at Breakaway and Focus on the Family offer our deepest care, concern and prayers for Steven and his family. Please join us in asking God to comfort, heal and provide His inexplicable peace to the entire Chapman family.
If you wish to offer condolences, you can send them to P.O. Box 150156, Nashville, TN 37215. And instead of sending flowers, you may send any financial gifts to Shaohannah’s Hope at showhope.org/maria. 
