Texas Megachurch to Give Out Cars, TVs at Easter Services

Christian Post ^ | 04/02/2010 | Lillian Kwon

[SeekAndFind]

Easter at a megachurch in Corpus Christi, Texas, will look like the popular TV game show "The Price Is Right."

Sixteen cars, 15 flat-screen televisions, furniture sets and other prizes are lined up at Bay Area Fellowship Church and ready to be claimed by anyone who attends the church's Easter services on Sunday.

Though the church of some 7,000 weekly attendees has regularly flexed its creative muscles to draw the unchurched, the upcoming "Ultimate Giveaway" is like no other outreach it has ever attempted.

Pastor Bil Cornelius, who made the game show analogy, admits it's a bit "outrageous."

But he sees it as "an opportunity to share Christ with people who may never go to a church for any reason," he told The Christian Post.

The prizes are worth over $2 million and are all donated items or sponsored by members of the church. Pastor Cornelius asked the congregation to give and to get their businesses involved for the bold effort. Bay Area members signed up to give cars, bikes, laptops, gym memberships and other gifts.

"I'm very proud of our people for being so incredibly generous and willing to do whatever it takes to get spiritually lost people in the door to hear about the love of God," the lead pastor said.

Along with some of the bigger prizes, every individual or family attending one of the church's 30 worship services held across seven campuses this weekend will receive a "value pack" of gift certificates worth over $300 from local businesses. Additionally, more than 300 children attending the newest campus – located in a lower income neighborhood on the west side of Corpus Christi – will receive new bicycles.

The "ultimate" giveaway, however, will be the free gift of heaven and Christ.

"We hope to show people that while it is exciting to receive free stuff here on Earth, the greatest free gift of all time is something we haven’t yet seen, but can enjoy for all eternity," said Cornelius, who started the church 12 years ago with five people.

"The entire giveaway leads to the Grand Prize available to all, salvation through Christ, if simply received ... with no strings attached (Ephesians 2:8-9)," he added.

Cornelius acknowledges that the Easter giveaway has drawn some "pretty strong" criticism from other believers, some of whom accuse the pastor of turning Jesus into a product.

But the Texas megachurch pastor responded to the critics, saying: "[I]f just one of their children were lost and found Christ through this program (that they may not approve of), I bet they'd be glad we did it."

Bay Area Fellowship Church expects some 15,000-20,000 people this weekend. The giveaway is open to all members of the church and visitors but excludes staff and their families.

"They're coming for the loot and they're going to leave with Jesus," Cornelius said.

[wardaddy]

education is not materialsim

it may dumb though if u go to the wrong school though

i think this is stupid

these Osteen style churches are nothing more than Tony Robbins meet Jesus

[Mom MD]

I remember Christ’s reaction to moneychangers in the Temple. I think it would be somewhat the same to modern day money changers in the Church....
I am all for reaching the lost, but this sickens me.

[NoDRodee]

Jesus say “Seek ye 1st the Kingdom of God, then all THESE THING will be added unto you”

This Church says “Seek ye 1st the all THESE THING, then the Kingdom of God will be added unto you”

I'll take Jesus way

[Reeses]

You seem to be saying that even from a pure business point of view, this will amount to a NET LOSS on the balance sheet ?

It's certain to be an initial loss. They are hoping to gain new long term customers. But are these the customers they really want? Attracting overwhelmingly Democrat customers is usually a really bad business strategy. They will lose their low-maintenance givers and gain mostly high-maintenance takers.

[formerlytempaussie]

My wife and I just returned from Corpus two weeks ago after spending the winter there working on a project for the city. We attended the Bay Area Fellowship while in Corpus Christi.

The music was not to our taste but Bill Cornelius is a genuine, some might say, conservative preacher of the Word. He came to CC 9 years ago and started a Bible study in his one bedroom apartment. The growth in numbers from that time has been remarkable.

As a very conservative Christian, I am not a big fan of much of what goes on in the Name of Christ today, but part of that is because of the generation in which I was raised.

A lot of the mega-churches today have made their main Sunday gatherings a center for evangelism rather than ministering to the needs of the local believers. The latter emphasis takes place in smaller groups throughout the week.

If I was in charge, would I take this tact? Probably not, but like D. L. Moody once said to a critic, “I like my way of winning people to Christ rather than your way that doesn’t.”

[savedbygrace]

“Mercedes Benz”

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends.
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV?
Dialing For Dollars is trying to find me.
I wait for delivery each day until three,
So oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV?

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town?
I’m counting on you, Lord, please don’t let me down.
Prove that you love me and buy the next round,
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town?

Everybody!
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends,
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?

(Janis Joplin)

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

“where did they get all that money...”

Read the original post.

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

This has no relationship to the ‘money changers’ in the temple. They were, in a modern day sense, selling ‘offerings’ - come buy a dove for an offering, etc.

[Peanut Gallery]

Holy ulterior motive, Batman!

[Peanut Gallery]

But he sees it as "an opportunity to share Christ with people who may never go to a church for any reason," he told The Christian Post.

This is not sharing Jesus. If they want to give these things away and do good deeds, fine. Call it that, but don't expect these people to keep coming back. They are only there for the handout. To lure people to church in this manner is disgusting. I guess for this church it is still all about the numbers.

[SaveTheChief]

Disgusting.

[marron]

At first glance it irritates me a bit, but at second glance what you see is this. The congregation itself dug deep and donated this stuff. The members themselves came up with a couple million dollars worth of stuff that they are going to give away, apparently to non-members.

We’ve never done anything quite like that, but our church does have a habit that, when we’re in financial trouble, we give money away. Sometimes to another church across town. Sometimes to some other need. This would be on top of the usual giving that the church does. I’ve never heard of a church that donates to another church (and its not something we do all the time). But hey.

We are constantly coming up with ways to get people in the neighborhood to come in and get aquainted. They’ll hold a Saturday bike repair session, people around the neighborhood bring their bikes over and get them fixed. Or they’ll set up and do haircuts for people in the neighborhood. The idea is to get people to come, bring their kids, and get aquainted. Or they’ll have crews of teenagers going out riding buses with a cooler full of bottled water on a hot day and just give away water (it gets hot here). No sermon. Actually, we’ve had a long list of odd projects that were designed simply to get people aquainted.

The result is that we can’t build fast enough to keep up with the growth. We keep building and its not enough. People come, they come back with their wife, they come back with their kids, they come back with their neighbors. The effect is exponential. When you see how a church can grow you have to wonder then about the churches that sit static year after year.

Sometimes for a laugh the pastor asks how many of you all have been in jail. Half the congregation rises. The people we’re getting aren’t the traditional church goers, some of them, but they are coming here. Ten thousand on a Sunday, probably three thousand on a Wednesday, in a small city.

Sometimes you have to shake the dust off and do something. Someone won’t like it, but if you bring people in the Holy Spirit will do the rest.

[LivingNet]

“Lord Jesus, we honor Your sacrifice for us and in remembrance of You on this holy day we offer.... A NEW CAR! Ticket number 1653, please come to the front to claim your prize!”

I don't care who you are...that's funny right there!

[BiggieLittle]

marron what your church is practicing sounds like basic Christianity. How odd.

[Future Snake Eater]

They're not after the followers. They're after everyone else. The followers already have their ultimate reward. They just have to be patient until the Lord calls their name.

Exactly. This is far more akin to the "Prodigal Son" than Jesus casting out the money changers. Everyone here assumes they know this pastor's heart and that he's just an attention-whore opportunist. Glad ya'll are up on your telepathy, b/c it seems to me that a church couldn't possibly get that successful so quickly without Divine intervention.

This guy's obviously doing something right in God's eyes.

[stephenjohnbanker]

“these Osteen style churches are nothing more than Tony Robbins meet Jesus”

Many, like Rich Warren went to “prosperity theology university” at the Crystal Cathedral.

[dennisw]

Meanwhile these guys are having cash-flow problems

 

• MyFox Los Angeles

  Crystal Cathedral hit with $2M in lawsuits ‎ San Jose Mercury News - 18 hours ago The 10000-member church was founded more than a half-century ago by the Rev. Robert H. Schuller who preached the power of positive thinking. Crystal Cathedral hit with $2 million in lawsuits‎ - Washington Post all 165 news articles »

• Gala planned as church vendors went unpaid

  ‎
  OCRegister - Deepa Bharath - 6 days ago
  

  One of Robert H. Schuller's sons-in-law planned an extravagant bash for a Crystal Cathedral anniversary. But church officials say it was ...

  Crystal Cathedral in Calif. owes money to vendors‎ - The Associated Press
  The Crystal Cathedral Is $55 Million In Debt‎ - WFMY News 2
  Crystal Cathedral Isn't Paying Its Vendors‎ - Crosswalk.com (blog)
  NBC Los Angeles
  all 227 news articles »

[Chasaway]

You know, I don’t want to stir up a lot of stuff...

But I think a lot of people DID come to Jesus for what they could get from him...healing, comfort, food (he DID feed the 5 thousand...).

This doesn’t appear to be a come-on. It appears a way to get folks in the door to at least hear the story.

A story many might not have heard in a long time.

C

[Forgiven_Sinner]

“I’m a non-believer who has read both testaments, several works of Christian apologetics, and has a great deal of respect for Christianity.

May I ask the believers on this thread....

Wasn’t Christ’s message more along the lines of “come to Me and you will find that your “need” for a new car or a big screen will pass from you??””

It was even more extreme than that: “Matthew 16:24-26 (King James Version)

24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

25For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

26For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Essentially, as Christians, we are to give up everything to Christ: money, family, possessions, career, life, in exchange for an eternal life of meaning.

That said, this promotion, as crass and materialistic as it is, may be the best way to reach our crass and materialistic society. The money came from Christians who gave it in hope of saving some. May God call people to Him through this effort.