In the U.S., our team used a text-response system—inviting people to text-in and then chat with our digital responders around their faith questions. Internationally, we worked with contacts in various countries who already had networks of pastors/churches in place ready to respond and follow-up. These countries had call-in centers, text-response systems, and web-based platforms in place and they are following up with individuals. In India alone, more than 100,000 called or texted in over Easter weekend!
In addition to providing the content from well-known Christian leaders and musicians, the events also gave viewers an opportunity to give financially. Pulse raised $80,000 for Churches Helping Churches, a campaign to provide financial assistance for churches who are on the brink of closing, and partnered with World Vision to raise money for their COVD-19 domestic and global relief efforts.
Completely Worth Every Minute of Work
The events came about in part because of the desperation people feel over the situation with the coronavirus. Hall explains the idea for the events came from conversations he was having with friends: “I had a lot of friends that were calling me crying and in tears, overwhelmed by the situation—whether it was at home, in their business or in their church.” “And I simply called out to God and said, ‘God, what would it look like to bring together men and women to offer hope and perspective in this moment of need?’”
According to Harris, the idea occurred just two weeks before the Easter weekend and represented very long days of work for the entire Pulse team. The team quickly launched into action, pulling off the marketing and international distribution just seven days before the first event. “It was long, busy days for our team, but completely worth every minute of work,” Harris told ChurchLeaders. “God was clearly opening doors for our team and had a much bigger plan than we ever could have imagined!”
Although the full program is no longer available for free online due to licensing restrictions, Harris says they hope to have certain segments of the event available in the near future. Those who are interested can find both the Leader Check-In and the Good Friday service on Year of the Bible for on-demand streaming.
