The RenewaNation Review 2020 The Collingsworth Family Special Edition | Page 34

Phillip
& Sharlenae
Phillip Collingsworth has one ministry goal: to make
music that will glorify God, make an impact for Christ’s
kingdom, and encourage people in their faith.
A life spent creating such music is the only life Phil and
Kim Collingsworth’s third child and only son has known. He
was five years old when his family began touring full-time.
Although their music ministry caused him to miss oppor-
tunities other children had, such as playing team sports, it
was a life Phillip enjoyed. “We have been able to see so many
places because of traveling that I would have never seen
otherwise,” he said. “My parents knew what my siblings and
I had to miss out on, so they gave us as many fun opportu-
nities as they could.”
Phillip has other fond childhood memories, including the
many ways his family pointed him to Christ. “I remember
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being six years old in a revival meeting that my (maternal)
grandfather was preaching. I understood the concept of
salvation through the message and responded,” he said. “My
parents instilled biblical values into mine and my sisters’
lives by the people they let us hang around, the entertain-
ment we watched and participated in, and by having regular
family devotional times.”
Sharlenae Dotson was one of the people Phillip was
around as a child. “Phillip and I grew up knowing each
other,” Sharlenae said. “Our mothers knew each other in
college—way before we were thought of—and we would
see each other a couple of times a year at church events and
youth gatherings.”
At the age of twelve, Sharlenae experienced significant loss
when her father, a senior pastor, suddenly died from a heart
condition. Her mother invited Phil and Kim, as friends of
the family, to help provide music for the funeral.
Phillip recalls his own grief. “At just ten years old, I
was extremely sorrowful about the whole thing because
I knew him. I knew the family. I was crushed in my own
way,” he said.
Sharlenae’s mother guided her four children through the
grief process. “My mother is one of the strongest women
I know. She continued to raise us to love and serve Jesus