A church in Texas has come up with a novel way to attract more members: Free mortgage and rent payments to lucky raffle ticket holders who will attend its New Year's Eve and New Year's Day services.
An official of New Light Christian Center in Houston, Texas, who requested anonymity, told The Christian Post on Monday that the annual raffle is the brainchild of the church's pastor, Bishop Ira V. Hilliard.
The more than 28,000-member megachurch made the special church service and raffle announcement on its Facebook page on Saturday.
"It's just a way to encourage members to come on out to service even though it's New Year's Day," the official said, adding that they began issuing tickets to the event in October.
The official said the number of lucky raffle prize winners is still undetermined but that an announcement regarding this will be made either on the night before or during the services itself.
According to its website, New Light Christian Center Church has six locations in Texas. The ministry includes a nationwide television ministry, an aviation division, a credit union and an early childhood development centre.
Hilliard and his wife Bridget E. Harrison co-founded the church in September 1984. The church was honoured as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Churches in America.
The couple also founded the Association of Independent Ministries (AIM) fellowship with the objective of spiritually mentoring other pastors. Its current membership comprises more than 1,000 churches across America.
The church website noted that Hilliard began preaching God's Word at the age of nine, delivering his first sermon on a Mother's Day night at the age of 10.
About a month ago, Hilliard was hospitalised with an unidentified health issue, according to The Christian Post. He recently returned to his church, which issued a statement saying that he was on the road to "total healing."
"The Hilliard family and New Light Church appreciates your interest and concern regarding the health of Bishop I.V. Hilliard. Bishop is in great spirits and strong in faith for a supernatural recovery. Everyone that has attended to Bishop have been believers and stand in faith with us for total healing ... we continue to believe for a speedy recovery and total healing," the statement said.
