A Corpus Christi, Texas, megachurch is offering an unusual approach to bringing people to Christ this Easter. Let's call it Jesus meets Oprah.
The Bay Area Fellowship, the largest church in Corpus Christi, will give away more than $4 million in cash and prizes to everyone who attends Easter services at one of its seven locations.
The prizes range from gift bags with $300 worth of goods and services all the way up to cars -- 16 of them , to be exact, all of them used but low-mileage. And there's everything in between: 10 furniture sets, flat-screen TVs, tickets to sporting events, 300 bicycles and skateboards, photography sessions, and more.
"Someone could come to church [on Easter] and walk away an hour later with a car," lead pastor Bil Cornelius said on MSNBC today.
Cornelius said he got the idea from a fellow pastor in Minneapolis who got a local car dealer to donate a car to give away to a lucky churchgoer at Easter. The idea apparently inspired Cornelius' flock to follow suit -- all of the items being given away this Sunday are donated by church members, including an iPod donated by a 12-year-old church member. "To a 12-year-old, an iPod's a really big thing," Cornelius said. "This boy said, 'I'd rather have someone come to youth group on Sunday to learn about the love of Christ by donating my iPod to the drawing.
"It's a way to draw people in for a prize and then give them the ultimate giveaway, which is a relationship with Christ, which is free heaven, which is better than any material prize we have to offer," he continued.
Church officers anticipate the giveaway will prove a highly effective marketing tool -- they're expecting 15,000 to 20,000 people, more than twice their normal weekly attendance, to show up for Easter services. One car will be given away at each of the services at the church's main campus and its six satellite locations in the Corpus Christi area
Written by Sandy Smith
For HULIQ.com
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Comments
#1 how sad
If people could choose Christ with their will, then perhaps this would be an acceptable way to spend money. However, since they cannot (Rom. 9:14-16) then this is a sad thing indeed. Telling people that they are rebellious sinners and that they have offended and angered a holy God and that they can escape His wrath by trusting in the goodness of His Son, now that is a message that simply is not compatible with giving away free cars, furniture sets, or TVs. You cannot change the method without undermining the message.
In Christ,
Scott
#2 Wow!!!!!
This is full on comedy fodder for either Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert. This church has got to be nuts to run a promotion like this.
#3 a joke?
I hope so. It was posted on the 1st, but I sure wouldn't put it past some of these so-called Christians today. How sad is right. Shame on them if it is true.
#4 Pathetic
As a minister of forty years, I am appalled that this is what American churches have come to.
#5 what's next?
this reminds me of the game show Let's Make A Deal. Is that next,people dressing up in outrageous costumes to win cash and prizes? Jesus knew what He was doing when He made a whip and chased these type people from the temple.
#6 Ridiculous
Oh!!!!, how did the church forget the basics of evangelism, Apostles did not use any of these human tactics to invite people all they had to do was to preach the Gospel, If anyone want people to come all they have to do is pray to God, HE will cause people to come, America is going blind and heading towards destruction
#7 Churches ARE Businesses
This is just further proof that churches are businesses. As the late Bishop Hensley said: "Tax the churches".
Bless you all.
#8 Sorry, Price Has Been Paid
The marketing/selling of the Gospel goes back over 30 years. There is nothing new under the sun, but if it takes a give-away to get people to come to your church, you have missed the whole point. People have to make their own choices about Jesus, and God gave us the Holy Spirit to faithfully deal with all, and draw us to Christ, by love....Not a give-away. If it were possible to buy people into Heaven, Jesus would not have had to die. Critical mistake Pastor, we are already a consumer oriented generation...This proves the Church has bought the lie!
#9 Churches ARE Businesses
This is just further proof that churches are businesses. As the late Bishop Hensley said: "Tax the churches".
Bless you all.
#10 Churches ARE Businesses
This is just further proof that churches are businesses. As the late Bishop Hensley said: "Tax the churches".
Bless you all.
#11 WWJD?
Calling Jesus the "ultimate giveaway" is an insult to the great price He paid for our sins.
But I guess what God did for us isn't enough. They need to spend $4 million, too.
#12 Abominable
To begin with, "Easter" is the name of a goddess ( GOOGLE it ) And secondly, there is no end to the circus atmosphere within these Mega "churches". This is the "church" that Jesus is going to spew out of His mouth. These houses of false worship will soon fall, their foundations are built on the sand.
#13 Prosperity brings
Prosperity brings apathy...apathy brings boredom...bordeom brings stupidity. I rest my case.
#14 I was hungry...
Four million dollars could have been used to feed the hungry in the area, it could have provided shelter to the homeless in the area, or it could bring in the covetous of the area. I was hungry, and you fed me not...
#15 Really? Are you serious?
Really? Are you serious? You've reduced Jesus to a GAME SHOW? How do you think HE feels about that? It is no wonder that people think Christians are a joke.
#16 Mega Church give-a-ways
There are a lot of people who came to church on that Sunday to have a chance to win something. Oh yes,
they came for a materialistic treasure, but hopefully they heard about the Pearl of Great Price, the Creator, the
Bread of Life, the Hope of Glory. If I had the means to give a car to bring someone to Christ, I would do it. My dad was a country preacher in the hills of WV. He would give his cars away instead of trading them in on a new
one, to someone who could use them. I think it comes down to our motives, and pleasing God
#17 MOTIVE: "to someone who could use them"
Steve, I can admire the motive of your dad - he was helping the needy. The church in question (as with many other similar organisations) say that their motive is to bring people to a right relationship with Jesus but if we use the world's methods instead of God's exclusive way then we neither win souls to Christ (no matter what profession is made) nor do we please God. Too many are more concerned with tick boxes, tally sheets, marketing techniques and ultimately worldly practices. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Strange as it may seem to some, God Knows Best! Let us all get back to the truth of Scripture, for the sake of dying sinners.