Ed Young's Fellowship Church Creates World's Largest Jesus Chalk Drawing
Participants at Pastor Ed Young's Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, attempted a world-record 17,000 square foot chalk portrait of Jesus on Wednesday as part of Easter activities.
"Easter is always a time of celebration, reflection, and renewal. This giant chalk drawing on our church's parking lot is just a great way to connect with so many people and to remind us what this week is all about," Young, who leads the 20,000-member congregation, said before the event.
"The message is clear - it's all about JESUS!! #ArtOfEaster," Young wrote on his Facebook page. "The portrait is done. History has been made. And now it's time to tell HIS STORY this Easter."
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The piece took 6,700 individual pieces of chalk to create, a church representative told NBC 5 News.
"We believe the church should be the most creative entity on the face of the planet. Not boring, not humdrum," Derric Bonnot said. "But it should be out there thinking up new ways to tell the story of who Jesus is and who God is. And so hopefully this just catches people's attention to want to see more and want to know more."
The chalk portrait, which is based off an original painting by Young, is part of Fellowship's Easter experience this year, called "The Art of Easter."
Young, who has written 14 other books, including The New York Times best-seller Sexperiment, is known for using creative sermons to engage the Fellowship congregation, and in the past has used live animals in Easter presentations, including lambs and lions.
In 2012, during his "Wild" sermon series, which also included other exotic animals like giraffes and elephants, Young used a lion and a lamb to demonstrate Jesus Christ's role as both animals, as the Bible refers to Jesus as the "lamb of God" as well as the "Lion of the Tribe of Judah."
The series attracted some controversy, with Dallas-based WFAA television news station claiming that Fellowship Church had no permit for exhibiting the animals, though the Fellowship pastor rejected those claims.
"We have never been denied a permit. We called prior to the Easter services, but there was not a permitting process in place. After the Easter services, we have been working with the city to help them in this process," Young said then, and insisted that he is the "biggest animal lover you'll find."
This year, Fellowship Church is also hosting its 2nd annual "Good Friday in the Park" at Klyde Warren Park, which promises to feature a special Easter message from Young, live music, communion, and kids' activities. More information about the event is available on the official website.
