A Lawrenceville pastor wants his congregation to know the good news about the Gospel of Mark.
Dean Sweetman, senior pastor of the C3 Church, has challenged his members and anyone else interested to read the New Testament book in its entirety over the next year and post Instagram photos of their notes.
Every quarter, the person posting the most creative notes will win a pair of tickets to fly anywhere in the continental U.S.
But there’s a catch: Sweetman wants people to try to do it the old-fashioned way — with a printed Bible (although no one will be kicked out of the challenge by using digital technology).
“You know, when I was growing up you brought your Bible to church and you underlined parts,” the pastor said.
Today, it’s more likely Sweetman will look out in the sanctuary and see members swiping their notebooks and smartphones to follow Scripture. Sweetman confesses he also uses his iPad and smartphone to teach the Bible.
“It’s a blending of old media and new media,” he said.
The services in Lawrenceville are live-streamed on the church’s website at 9:30 and 11 a.m Sundays.
So, far hundreds of photos have been posted using the hashtag #c3whatsyourmark.
The pastor said he wanted to focus on a Bible book that was easily understood. “You can’t go wrong with learning about the life of Jesus and how it relates to everyday life.”
Sweetman broke down the Gospel of Mark into 70 “bite-size” lessons. He said it’s taken months to get through the first chapter.
The pastor said five C3 churches and their youth ministries are participating — Lawrenceville, Milton, Grayson, and in Silver Lake and North Hollywood, Calif. But the Gospel of Mark challenge is open to anyone who wants to read and study the book over the next year.
Coming up with an appropriate prize was not hard. Sweetman, who crisscrosses the country a lot, said he’s logged more than 200,000 frequent flyer miles. “I’m going to give away a lot. It’s cool for me that people are excited about the Bible.”
Church staffers are looking at photos posted for creativity and detail as well as looking at notes written to see what people are learning.
“I didn’t really grow up in a church where we actually picked up the Bible and read the Bible,” said Jill Breneman, a 50-something Lawrenceville resident who just started working part-time at the church. She said the challenge has helped her really digest the Bible and understand “how it pertains to my life now. There’s something in there for everyone.”
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