Whitney Elizabeth Houston was shepherded home today in her childhood church, where family, friends and fellow celebrities gave her an emotional and fond farewell. (See photos at end of article.)

"You wait for a voice like that for a lifetime,” said Clive Davis, Houston’s producer and mentor. "You wait for a face like that, a smile like that, a presence like that, for a lifetime. And when one person embodies it all, it takes your breath away."

"Whitney lived music. Whitney loved music. This was her world ... Whitney was purely and simply one of a kind."

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The spiritual service was billed as a "home going" by Houston’s family, rather than a funeral, which in Baptist tradition means she has gone home to be with God.

Against a backdrop of Houston's casket, draped with white roses and purple lilies, one speaker after another attested to her deep religious faith in an uplifting service resonating with gospel hymns and punctuated by hand waving and "amens."

Ray Watson, her brother-in-law and bodyguard for more than a decade, said Houston carried a tattered, well-worn Bible as she traveled, marking passages in its pages.

Actor and producer Tyler Perry said of his friend, "What I know about her is that she loved the Lord. And if there was a grace that carried her all the way through, it was the same grace that carried her home."

Houston died at the age of 48 in her Beverly Hills hotel room on February 11, as she prepared to attend Davis’ annual pre-Grammy bash. Authorities are awaiting toxicology reports before they can determine the official cause of death.

Many of Houston’s performances were in massive arenas amid glitz and glamour, but her sendoff was in a more humble and intimate setting. Her loved ones said their goodbyes in a nearly four-hour service at the New Hope Baptist Church in her hometown of Newark, New Jersey, where she first sang as a child.

Musical tributes included songs from Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and R. Kelly, along with gospel greats BeBe and CeCe Winans, Donnie McClurkin and Kim Burrell. Houston’s godmother, Aretha Franklin, had been scheduled to sing but was ill and unable to attend.

Keys, calling Houston an angel who encouraged and nurtured young singers, said the pop icon "made us feel strong and capable and loved."

At the peak of her career in song, the legendary singer was plagued with doubts about her abilities as she prepared to cross over to film in her first acting role, said Kevin Costner, her co-star in The Bodyguard.

Though Costner thought Houston was perfect for the part, studio execs initially weren’t sold on her and she feared she couldn’t carry it off.

"Whitney, if you could hear me now I would tell you, 'You weren't just good enough, you were great,' " he said, adding that the studio later "fell in love with her."

Costner, who shares a Baptist upbringing with the fallen star, told Houston she has nothing to fear during her heavenly audition.

"Off you go, Whitney . . . escorted by an army of angels to your heavenly father,” he said. “When you sing before Him, don't you worry. You’ll be good enough."

It was Houston who had the last word at her own funeral. Her powerful voice filled the church as a recording of her signature "I Will Always Love You" played while pallbearers carried her casket out of the church.