LA MARQUE — All that’s missing is an appearance by Bob Barker.
For the third consecutive year, Abundant Life Christian Center will bring a taste of game show glitz to its annual New Year’s Eve services, using the lure of a jackpot to put wayward souls in the seats.
At the end of the evening Saturday, one attendee will walk away with a $120,000 home — a newly constructed three-bedroom bungalow on Allen Boulevard off the east side of state Highway 3 near the Mainland Medical Center.
During the service, 20 names will be drawn at random and placed with another 100 names of entrants chosen from among those who have tossed their name into the hat at regular services during the year. Entrants must be in attendance when their name is selected.
From this pool of 120 names, 12 finalists — to symbolize the 12 Apostles — will be handed a house key that fits a door in a frame placed on the stage. Only one key will be able to unlock the door, and the key holder wins the house.
The promotion certainly has had its desired effect, gaining headlines in newspapers and the usual roaming bands of TV crews lined up to speak to Pastor Walter Hallam, the church’s spiritual leader.
“The reasons for doing this are two-fold,” Hallam said. “It encourages people to come to the service, and it helps keep people off the street (on New Year’s Eve) with all that revelry going on.”
The church, founded in 1985, gave away a houseful of furniture on New Year’s Eve in 2004, and started off its sweepstakes scheme in 2003 when it offered a new PT Cruiser and Harley-Davidson motorcycle to the congregation.
Like other large-scale events at the church, the house is expected to be rocking Saturday night with rock-concert-style lighting and lively music, helping to build enthusiasm as the prize drawing approaches. Indoor fireworks and balloon drops will usher in 2006.
Typically, more than 2,000 people attend the New Year’s Eve service, and church officials expect its biggest crowd ever with a new house as the hook. That’s when a higher power takes over, according to Hallam.
“The (prizes) are not what causes people to decide to attend (regular) services,” he said. “It’s the gospel of Jesus Christ. They stay to hear the message of Jesus.”
Added Justin West, Abundant Life’s director of operations: “We hope when they get here they will find that church is perhaps not as bad as they remember when they were young.”
The home was constructed by Trinity Builders, owned by church member Richard Murillo, who donated his time to the project and was paid only for the cost of materials, about $53,000. He said the home would be completed by the end of January. The winner will pay closing costs and property taxes.
Hallam said he has only come across a few doubters who do not approve of the notion of prize giveaways during a religious service.
“I just love them and pray for them and keep going forward,” said Hallam. “They really won’t make much of a difference. This is a blessing for the people, and shows them that serving God is fun.”
