Detroit's Rev. Winans to Give Eulogy at Whitney Houston's Funeral

DETROIT (WJBK) -- Funeral arrangements are set for Whitney Houston. She will be laid to rest Saturday in New Jersey. Her family is planning a private funeral in Newark. Grammy Award winner and gospel singer Marvin Winans has been chosen to give the eulogy.

"If you scratch the surface, it didn't take you long to find out that she was still that little girl from New Jersey," he said.

However, that little girl, who we all knew as a superstar, is gone.

"I really do miss Whitney," Winans remarked.

Winans, who is also a pastor at Detroit's Perfecting Church, knew Whitney Houston and her family very well.

View more coverage of Whitney Houston's death >>

"When she was here in November, she was at church. I did not know ... that was the last time I would see her," he explained.

Pastor Winans is now saying goodbye to his friend, and her mother has asked him to deliver the eulogy.

"The last time Whitney was in concert here, she called me on stage at the Fox and we sang together "I Go to the Rock"," said Winans. "It is that rock of salvation, that rock, that faith that we have in Jesus that sustains us."

The funeral will be held in the same church where Whitney first showcased her unparalleled talent.

Pastor Winans said his message will celebrate Whitney's life and comfort a family who he knows and loves.

"In times of difficulty, you don't run from your faith. You run to it," he told us.