worship tricks [first series]

no 10: pentecost flame throwing

pentecost madness. mark pierson from nz is always coming up with wonderfully creative ideas. he seems to have a particular penchant for crazy pentecost services that involve as much fire as possible! this is his latest (don't run it past the health and safety people first though or it will never happen)..... "Pentecost is my favourite festival. So many great images. We took the Spirit of God as Fire this year. 2 services with the themes The fire of God's Spirit enables... and reveals.... I set up the space with a campfire of tvs 2 high running fire vid loops, lots of red flood lights, mirror ball etc so the place was awash with red. After our usual (a tradition now) popping of the popcorn all over the floor while I talked about the potential God sees in each of us and how the Spirit enables that potential to be realised in a relationship with Christ, I moved to the centre piece. I had a large steel bowl (wok ) on top of a metre high black plinth, with candle burning beside it. In the wok was a pile of meths soaked pumice rocks (very porous). At the appropriate moment I pulled out an aerosol can of cooking oil and sprayed it across the top of the candle. It ignited like a flame thrower and lit the bowl of pumice beside it. Very cool effect! We also used a cross covered in magicians flash paper to ignite in the dark. Now next year...!"