'Flying pastor' goes viral after imitating dramatic return of Jesus in church

A pastor from Mississippi came up with a very ingenious and out of the ordinary idea to get his message about the “second coming of Jesus” across to his congregation: by flying across his church. He has gone viral over social media, but reactions to his stunt are mixed.

Rev. Bartholomew Orr's from Brown Missionary Baptist Church is making the rounds on the internet after videos of his Sunday sermon appeared on Twitter and Facebook. The pastor decided to enter the venue in an unexpected way to emphasize his message about the word of God.

"I’m thankful that the word of God is being discussed in homes and cars, in social media through all of Facebook and so forth."

LIKE A POP CONCERT

Using a zip-line, Orr entered Southaven’s Brown Missionary Baptist Church flying above the crowd while asking them “Are you ready? Are you ready for his return?” as he made his way from the church’s mezzanine to the main stage.

He earned laughs and claps from the congregation, as he finally landed on the pulpit to continue his 40-minute sermon about the second coming of Christ and how Christians must get ready for it. Then, he left the building in the same way, flying across the venue.

The stunt has earned Orr the nickname of “The Flying Pastor,” as people from all over the country show mixed reactions to his actions. While most people believe the scene was hilarious and creative, other complained about it being a waste of money and blasted Orr for “playing around using Jesus as a prop.”

“I thought this was a Drake concert,” commented one user on Twitter. And other added, “So is he the Beyoncé of preachers or something?"

ADDRESSING THE SITUATION

Orr is aware of the dimension that his little stunt has prompted on social media, and in a follow-up video posted to the church’s YouTube page, he thanked people for sharing and retweeting the video and added:

“Well, you never know how God is going to use you. But I am so grateful that even though all of the talks about my sermon this morning hasn’t been complimentary, I’m thankful that the word of God is being discussed in homes and cars, in social media through all of Facebook and so forth.”

Orr, who has been the senior pastor since 1989, according to the Huffington Post, also addressed the complaints he received about wasting money on the lift. He explained that the lift was there not solely for his sermon but because it’s used in the annual Christmas production the church will be presenting in a few days.

“There is a bigger picture, and that is Christ is returning soon,” Orr said. “And just as Christ’s return is going to be unexpected, my flying in this morning was unexpected. But we must be ready.”

ANOTHER PASTOR GOES VIRAL FOR VERY DIFFERENT REASONS

While Pastor Orr stunt caused a stir for his showmanship, most people agree that his actions didn’t hurt anyone, so it’s not a big deal. But a pastor from Chicago is being slammed by the LGBTQ+ community after throwing out a young man from his service because of his clothes.

Pastor Antonio Rocquemore of Power House International Ministries in Chicago, Illinois, faced a protest from the LGBTQ+ community outside of his church last week after he removed 16-year-old Antwan Haywood from the congregation because he was “dressed like a woman.”

“I thank God for all my supporters here and on social media," said Haywood. "No church can put me in heaven or hell. Only God can do that and for [the pastor] to put me out of the church was wrong.”

The pastor's wife confirmed he ejected Haywood from the church service the previous weekend due to how he was dressed.