Contact: Pam Sparks, .W Publishing, 719-362-5237, publishing@wholelifeoffering.com; www.wholelifeoffering.com
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., April 19, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Easter is one of two holidays that typically draws even casual Christians to church, but one pastor says that church is the one wrong place to celebrate the holiday. Rev. Eric Foley, author of the new book The Whole Life Offering and pastor of the Doers of The Word Evangelical Church that meets simultaneously in Colorado Springs and in Seoul, Korea, says that according to the Bible, the proper place to celebrate Easter is on the road.
"Lock the front door of the church on Easter morning and post a sign there that says, 'He is not here -- he is risen,'" says Foley. "That's the message the angel shares when the women come to anoint Jesus' body on Easter morning: 'Go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.' Whether it's the disciples who meet Jesus on the road to Emmaus or the apostles who are called out of the Upper Room and on to Galilee, the Easter message is clear: If you want to meet Jesus, hit the road!"
Foley pastors Doers of The Word Evangelical Church, a congregation of the Evangelical Church of North America which meets via video conference in small home-based groups. In his new book, The Whole Life Offering: Christianity as Philanthropy, he details a one year plan for growing in Christian maturity through seven spiritual disciplines of loving God and ten outreach disciplines of loving neighbor. Easter Sunday, he says, is the perfect day to practice both through acts of service in one's community.
"In the early church, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ meant more than dressing up and going to church before a family dinner. It was the starting line for discipleship. New believers joined Christ in his death and resurrection -- and in hitting the road to share the love of God. Whether at a soup kitchen, a park, or a mall, Easter is a day best spent looking for -- and sharing -- Jesus in the community."
The Whole Life Offering released this month and is available for purchase through Amazon or by visiting www.thewholelifeoffering.com. Rev. Foley is available for interview; contact .W Publishing at publishing@wholelifeoffering.com for more information.
