SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — A Sunday church service has gone viral, not just because of the message, but the method the Pastor used to deliver it. Pastor Bartholomew Orr of Brown Baptist Church in Southaven wanted to make sure the congregation is “ready for Jesus’ return,” which was the title of his sermon on Sunday.
So instead of just saying it, he showed it.
Talk about an entrance.
Pastor Orr made one during Sunday service.
“Are you ready? Are you ready for his return? ” Orr asked the congregation as he flew above them on a zip line.
Instead of walking into the sanctuary to deliver his sermon on being ready for Jesus` return, he flew in on a zip line.
“It fit with the message I was preaching,” said Pastor Orr. “What better way to say he is coming back are you ready for his return? I am a prop preacher anyway, so I have used props. ”
But video of this prop went viral.
One viewer posted, “Props are for stage acts and shows, not for getting the message out.” And “I guess he will walk on water next.”
Another viewer posted, “At least 1.1 million people were touched by the word in one way or another because of this video! Won`t he do it!’ and ‘I am glad he did this… all the foolishness that goes viral. Let’s make Jesus go viral.”
Pastor Orr didn’t expect all the attention. He has been interviewed by several national news outlets since the video was posted.
“No I didn’t expect it to go viral,” he says. “I come out and someone tells me you know what it’s 250,000 views. We are like huh! ”
But he says the important thing is it has people talking about Jesus.
“Now 7 million folks, if nothing else, have heard the message ‘are you ready for his return?’ ” said Pastor Orr.
He is not the first church leader to use non-traditional methods to get his message across.
Three years ago, WREG showed you how Bishop Brandon Porter got back-lash over riding a Hover Board in to deliver his sermon.
“Sometimes we have to break our own rules our own traditions just that we might touch someone’s heart with Jesus Christ,” Bishop Porter told WREG back then.
But the zip-line has some lashing out saying, ‘This is where the tithes and offerings go.’
One thing Pastor Orr stressed, the church didn’t bring in this zip line just for his sermon. It was already set up for the church`s annual Christmas play where it is used by actors and sponsored by donations.
So would he use it again?’
” I have climbed the ladder in the pulpit and preached from the top of it. So I can’t ever tell some folks what they might see,” said Pastor Orr.
The Christmas production featuring the zip line will be held at Brown Baptist Church, 7200 Swinnea Road, December 5th and 7th at 7pm. It is free and open to the public.
