Donnie McClurkin Announces Engagement To Nicole C. Mullen
Well… It looks like Israel Houghton isn’t the only sanctified sweetie putting a ring on it. At the tender age of 56, Donnie McClurkin is ready to take a wife. The lucky lady is none other than fellow gospel singer Nicole C. Mullen. The engagement news was announced Thursday night on TBN’s long-running “Praise the Lord” ministry show when hosts Matt Crouch and his wife, Laurie, were joined by guests Reverend Doctor A.R. Bernard and McClurkin and Bernard revealed that he would be giving McClurkin marriage counseling.
According to the Christian Post:
Rumors that McClurkin and Mullen were dating started circulating after the two attended this year’s Stellar Awards together. But the gospel singers never made an official announcement about their romance until Thursday’s episode of “Praise the Lord.”
Bernard hinted at McClurkin’s engagement during a discussion about his new book, “What Women Want From Men.” Crouch then stood up and announced that the 56-year-old “We Fall Down” singer and Perfecting Faith Church pastor is, in fact, on course to get married.
“OK, are you ready for something? You want me to just drop something on ya?” Crouch asked the audience as he shouted, “Donnie McClurkin’s getting married! Come on!”
The audience erupted with praise as the camera zoomed in on a stunned McClurkin who was possibly not aware that Crouch would make that announcement on an international television show. Laurie, afraid that her husband had spoken too soon, asked if they should consider editing the information out of the program but McClurkin then proceeded to explain his decision.
“Well praise God,” McClurkin responded. “Honestly, the only thing in my life that is missing is marriage. The only thing that is missing in my life that can cause real family, is marriage. Financially I’m there, spiritually I’m almost there, emotionally I’m getting it together, but the only thing that’s missing out of everything that I’m doing locally, cross country and globally is that aspect that makes family, family — is that wife that would make man whole, that element that brings favor to man.”
The pastor went on to quote Proverbs 18:22. The verse says “he who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord.” And that is what McClurkin says he’s looking forward to in this season of his life.
Peep a clip below:
“I have a lot of great things, but I don’t have a good thing, and there’s favor that can only come through marriage to a man,” he continued.
The New York-based minster talked about spending his nights watching Cartoon Network until 2 a.m. and confessed that he has come to realize the missing part of his existence is to have a help mate.
“To have someone that I can love. I’m not saying to love me, ’cause there’s a lot of people that love me. I want someone that I can love, heal and comfort, protect and secure. That’s what I want,” he said.
Not unlike Houghton and Bailon, McClurkin and Mullen have known each other for some time. The pair became close after being seated next to each other on an international flight:
McClurkin says he and Mullen have known each other for 15 years, and had time to chat when they were seated next to each other on a flight to the Ivory Coast during which they spoke for eight hours.
Mullen was previously married to CCM singer-songwriter David Mullen, before they announced their divorce in 2014. McClurkin has never been married, the single father has been open about his struggles with his feelings of loneliness.
In a 2002 interview, McClurkin said that due to sexual abuse, he had struggled with homosexuality. He also said that he had rejected that lifestyle:
“I’ve been through this and have experienced God’s power to change my lifestyle. I am delivered and I know God can deliver others, too.”
Well. Maybe he has been changed. Still, this is definitely gonna be a big leap of faith for Mullen — don’t you think?
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