Religion Roundup
Church Tempts Worshipers With $500 Gas Raffle
Associated Press
May 14, 2008
SNELLVILLE, Ga. - The First Baptist Church of Snellville, Georgia, is fueling its membership drive with a sign in front of its sprawling campus proclaiming "Free Gasoline."
The offer is a not a giveaway. Instead, each time newcomers or members attend a church event during a Sunday-to-Wednesday revival they get a pink raffle ticket for a chance to win one of two $500 gas cards.
The church's senior pastor, the Reverend Rusty Newman, says the congregation boasts roughly 9,000 members, but only about 2,500 regularly attend Sunday services.
Church members set up a sign advertising the offer in the church's parking lot near downtown Snellville, a traffic-clogged suburb northeast of Atlanta.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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