The Elephant that Came to Church
People who pull on to the Church by the Glades campus in Coral Springs, FL this Easter weekend will be greeted by friendly volunteers, fresh Krispy Kreme donuts, freshly-brewed Starbucks coffee and Judy…a 9,000 pound Indian elephant. It is all part of their new relationship series entitled “Rehab.”
The purpose?
“Week one of the series is about denial,” said Pastor David Hughes. “Many relationships suffer due to a denial of ‘the elephant in the room’—an obvious misplaced priority or passion that the people involved refuse to acknowledge and deal with.”
“Here at Church by the Glades, we value creative communication,” Hughes added. He believes that having a real, live elephant there as people enter the property will grab their attention from the moment they arrive.
“We are always trying to find fun ways to engage people and start the teaching time from the moment people drive onto our property,” said Hughes.
History shows that Church by the Glades is in the habit of doing creative things to draw people to their church. They have used iPhones, iTunes gift cards, Hannah Montana tickets and Nintendo Wiis to promote teaching series in the past.
Church by the Glades is located on Atlantic Blvd. and Sawgrass Expressway in Coral Springs, FL. They have eight Easter services scheduled starting Friday, March 21, 2008 at 6:00pm and 8:30pm. Other services are scheduled for Saturday, March 22, 2008 at 5:00 and 6:30pm and Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 8:30am, 9:45am, 11:15am and 12:45pm.
In recent days, Church by the Glades has experienced explosive growth. Their weekly attendance is up 40 percent over the same weekend last year with over 3,500 people attending each weekend. In addition, nearly 800 children are involved with their KidStuf Children’s Ministry. For more information about the church, visit them online at www.cbglades.com.