Kirk Franklin wants people to know they can still win regardless of their circumstances.
The 18-time Grammy Award-winning artist visited New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, on Oct. 9 to promote his new album, Father’s Day.
The project came out with a YouTube behind-the-scenes documentary where Franklin learned about his biological father in real time. It was the first album he ever had a camera crew follow him around to capture his creative process. His biological father is a man named Rick Hubbard, who lives in a neighborhood Franklin has frequented many years in his life. Despite the two paternity tests Hubbard took returning 99% positive results, Franklin’s biological mother has yet to accept the results, so Franklin still refers to the man as “Mr. Rick.”
In prior years, Franklin was told another man, Dwight Allen, was his biological father. Allen died in 2018, weeks after Franklin met him. The artist and producer said he still held animosity toward Allen when he died for all the years he wasn’t active in his life.
Hubbard was speaking to someone when he mentioned in passing he briefly dated Franklin’s biological mother, which sparked the curiosity to take the test. The documentary has over 2.5 million views on YouTube.
At the end of a fireside chat with New Birth pastor Jamal Bryant, Bryant called all of the attendees who didn’t know their fathers to the altar. At the altar, Franklin gave the adults an encouraging message.
“Don’t wait to get better,” Franklin told the adults. “Win, wounded. OK? Guess what? That is the [challenge] we’ve been given, but there’s something supernatural about you that you will be able to transform with that type of weight. There’s something really special about you that you will be called for that type of glory.”
He then began praying: “Father,” Franklin said. “We want to try to call you father tonight. Not based on what we believe, but based on what you said. Not based on what we’ve seen, but what we’ve heard our hearts pull from the heavens. Lord, we’re hurt and it doesn’t seem fair. It feels cruel, but we’re going to take a chance tonight and believe that you were there all the time.
“Leading us, holding us, caressing us, giving us a supernatural power that only heaven can give. Help us see what we can’t see right now. Help us move past this hurt and anger that we’ve carried like garments. We will trade you our hurt for your healing because that’s what fathers do. They’re asking for you to be what we’ve never seen. Lord, let us know it’s you so we can tell someone else the love of our heavenly father is real and it endures forever. In the name of Christ the King, y’all say this with me, ‘I’m forgiven. I’m healed. I’m OK. I’m loved, and I have a father.’ Amen.”
Franklin then brought out an ensemble and performed some of his greatest hits for the audience.
