Gary Collier photo from Dawson Simmons' plane.
As they planned a massive event that had never been attempted before, organizers of Walk With Jesus were anxious right up to the very day, whether it would be received as well as they had hoped for months.
All that anxiety disappeared within the hour Sunday morning as an estimated more than 1,000 people appeared out of the sunrise to attend an Easter service and hand write, using chalk on sidewalk, the entire New Testament.
Early estimates are that at least 80-90 percent of the 27 books were completed. Photographs of each sidewalk square are being taken and will be posted online in the next few weeks.
Reporters from three of the area television networks covered the event, as well as several newspapers, including the News & Observer of Raleigh and The
All that anxiety disappeared within the hour Sunday morning as an estimated more than 1,000 people appeared out of the sunrise to attend an Easter service and hand write, using chalk on sidewalk, the entire New Testament.
Early estimates are that at least 80-90 percent of the 27 books were completed. Photographs of each sidewalk square are being taken and will be posted online in the next few weeks.
Reporters from three of the area television networks covered the event, as well as several newspapers, including the News & Observer of Raleigh and The
Fayetteville Observer.
The sunrise service, only 30 minutes long, was packed with songs, scripture readings, prayer, and a beautiful cross adorned with hundreds of flowers that area children made out of tissue paper. Volunteers raised the cross during the final moments of the service.
With only a few minor mix-ups, the event ran very smoothly. After the service church leaders picked up packages containing their assigned Scriptures, chalk and an event map, while their participants made their way to their assigned sections of sidewalk.
Then the writing began. Hundreds of people up and down Madison Street knelt down with meditative concentration transcribing the words of the Bible.
The magic of the moment was that, while handwriting the entire contents of The New Testament would take a single person perhaps 1,000 hours, it took 1,000 people less than an hour.
By 8 a.m., Madison Street, the depot and a few side streets were covered in orange, blue, green, red and yellow chalk, covered with some 800,000 characters, covered in the life of Jesus.
Part of the plan was to “erase” the letters later that day, so the document would be presented in unblemished beauty and then disappear.
But organizers found that task to be a formidable challenge.
They are asking residents of the affected streets to pitch in and, using garden hoses, erase the words from sidewalks in front of their homes.
Organizers could also use some more help with the debt they have incurred, and donations of any amount will help tremendously.
Checks may be made out to Take the Lake, and mailed to Mark Gilchrist at The News Reporter, P.O. Box 707, Whiteville, N.C. 28476.
The sunrise service, only 30 minutes long, was packed with songs, scripture readings, prayer, and a beautiful cross adorned with hundreds of flowers that area children made out of tissue paper. Volunteers raised the cross during the final moments of the service.
With only a few minor mix-ups, the event ran very smoothly. After the service church leaders picked up packages containing their assigned Scriptures, chalk and an event map, while their participants made their way to their assigned sections of sidewalk.
Then the writing began. Hundreds of people up and down Madison Street knelt down with meditative concentration transcribing the words of the Bible.
The magic of the moment was that, while handwriting the entire contents of The New Testament would take a single person perhaps 1,000 hours, it took 1,000 people less than an hour.
By 8 a.m., Madison Street, the depot and a few side streets were covered in orange, blue, green, red and yellow chalk, covered with some 800,000 characters, covered in the life of Jesus.
Part of the plan was to “erase” the letters later that day, so the document would be presented in unblemished beauty and then disappear.
But organizers found that task to be a formidable challenge.
They are asking residents of the affected streets to pitch in and, using garden hoses, erase the words from sidewalks in front of their homes.
Organizers could also use some more help with the debt they have incurred, and donations of any amount will help tremendously.
Checks may be made out to Take the Lake, and mailed to Mark Gilchrist at The News Reporter, P.O. Box 707, Whiteville, N.C. 28476.