Marilyn Hickey’s life and legacy were honored in a powerful celebration of faith, remembrance and renewed spiritual commissioning as family members, ministry friends and church leaders reflected on the global impact of her decades-long ministry.
During the memorial service, Hickey’s daughter, Sarah Bowling, described her mother as a woman who lived with bold, barrier-breaking faith and an unshakable love for the Word of God.
“She carried the gospel to very difficult, unreached places,” Bowling said. Comparing her mother to the “crazy faith friends” in Mark 2 who tore open a roof to bring a paralyzed man to Jesus, Bowling added, “My mom ripped up the roof. She took off the limits.”
Bowling said countless women in ministry have shared how Hickey’s example gave them courage to preach and minister publicly around the world.
“So many people have said, ‘Because of your mom, she took off the roof, she took off the limits, especially for women and women sharing the gospel all over the world,’” Bowling said.
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She also highlighted one of Hickey’s lifelong ministry mandates: “Cover the earth with the Word.”
According to Bowling, Hickey began by leading home Bible studies and eventually expanded into international ministry through radio, television and global evangelistic outreach.
“She loved the Bible,” Bowling said. “The love for the Bible began when she was about 11 years old. And it carried with her throughout her life.”
Bowling also shared deeply personal memories of her mother, describing her as both spiritually passionate and joyfully human. She recalled Hickey’s sense of humor, practical jokes and unwavering commitment to passing biblical truth down to future generations.
The service included several recorded tributes from longtime ministry friends, including Rick Renner and Denise Renner.
Reflecting on Hickey’s influence, Rick Renner said, “I believe that Marilyn Hickey is one of the most significant voices, female voices, that have ever spoken, maybe in the history of the church.”
Renner emphasized the enormous reach of Hickey’s ministry, particularly her evangelistic work in Muslim nations.
“Marilyn spoke to more people in person than anybody can comprehend,” Renner said. “And she may, as a woman, have spoken to more people physically than any other woman in history.”
He also reflected on Hickey’s unusual favor among Muslim communities, recalling one of her well-known sayings: “Marilyn always said, ‘I love Muslims, and Muslims love me.’ And they did. They loved her.”
Renner said Hickey remained committed to ministry until the very end of her life.
“Marilyn is an example of someone who gave every ounce of her life to fulfill her call to the very, very end,” he said.
Throughout the service, speakers repeatedly challenged believers not simply to mourn Hickey’s passing, but to continue the spiritual legacy she modeled through faith, evangelism and dependence on the Holy Spirit.
In a prerecorded message played near the end of the memorial, Marilyn Hickey offered a final gospel invitation, encouraging listeners to receive Jesus Christ and to commit their lives fully to God.
“I want you to have a supernatural life here and I want you to go to heaven and have a heavenly life,” Hickey said in the recorded message.
As worship filled the sanctuary and ministers prayed over attendees, the celebration became more than a memorial—it became a call for believers to rise up again in faith, return to the Word of God and continue carrying the gospel to the nations.
Hickey’s life now stands as a testimony that one surrendered life can shake nations, break barriers and inspire generations to boldly proclaim Jesus Christ around the world.
Prepared by Charisma Media Staff.
