A three-day home-going celebration for Bishop Norman L. Wagner began Monday night.
More than 2,000 people came out to Victory Christian Center in Coitsville to not only mourn the loss of Wagner, but to celebrate his long list of accomplishments.
A standing room enjoyed a gospel music concert dedicated to Wagner with many grammy-award winning gospel music artists performing in his honor. They included the Winans family.
"He was a friend of our family," said Marvin Winans, Grammy Award winner. "And we are just happy that Cece has come. And Bebe and Marvin Junior and just to honor a great man."
"He was a friend to the family and just a personal friend," said Bebe Winans, also a Grammy Award-winning artist. "The kind of person that would encourage you no matter what you were going through. He was also there to uplift us when we lost our father last year."
Wagner served as pastor of Mount Calvary Pentecostal Church for 39 years. He also established Calvary Towers for senior citizens on Market Street, and he helped found the charter school Legacy Academy for Leaders and Arts. As is evident by the tremendous turnout at this concert, he will be missed.
"He was just a marvelous intelligent wonderful man of God that taught us very well in how to love and give and care for other people the same way that he did," said Yalonda James.
"He impacted a lot of people, not just in Youngstown but around the surrounding city and country and even internationally, and we're greatly going to miss him," said John Michael Oliver, who worked with Wagner.
Other services will include:
Tuesday: A public viewing of Wagner's body at Calvary Ministries International on Oak Hill, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will also be a memorial service at the Covelli Centre starting at 7 p.m.
Wednesday: A public viewing will be held at the Covelli Centre from 9 to 11 a.m., with a final home-going celebration to start at 11 a.m.
