Abundant Life Church hosted a gospel benefit concert Saturday night and raised approximately $3,000 for the six families with teens involved in the crash on Stillwell-Clyo Road 16 days ago.

The June 27 accident took the lives of Whitney Newman and Neil Morgan, and each of the other four passengers had to go to the hospital.

“It wasn’t just a God thing, but letting them know that people care about them,” said Treena Williams, who helped organize the concert.

Williams is a family friend of Robbie Stone’s family, the driver of the vehicle, and said that when she heard about the financial strain that accompanied the physical and emotional burdens, she spoke to members of the Southern gospel group, Eternal Vision, and decided try to help out.

As they group took the stage, the evening became less about donations and more about smiles. Between the upbeat, refurbished covers of classic hymns, such as “I’ll Fly Away,” band members poked fun at each other’s “hip,” “new-age” attire and told silly stories from the road.

The group formed 20 years ago with husband and wife Mike and Gail Shelby, who still book and perform. Once he was old enough, son Shannon, now 27, joined up as well. The newest member, Stuart Stallings, joined seven years ago and enjoys the brunt of the onstage jokes.

“They have such a drawing to all ages. I was hoping more of the kids would come out so that they could see what an example Shannon is for the Lord,” Williams said.

The crowd, mostly families, seemed enthused by the group, clapping, singing and laughing along throughout the show.

“It helps to know that people love you,” Williams said. “We need more of that in the world.”