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Saturday, Aug. 16, 2008

Fuel for souls: First-time churchgoers get free gas

The Rev. Austin Abney is betting that the shortest way to a Christian's heart is through his gas tank.

Abney, pastor of Eastland Church of God at 2598 Liberty Road, is offering first-time visitors a gas card good for $10 of free fuel.

One of the congregation's 450 members donated $1,000 used to purchase 100 gift cards.

“It was pretty cool,” Abney said.

If the cards are not all claimed Sunday, he'll extend the offer to Aug. 24 until the cards run out.

The offer is part of his Life Wide Open sermon series, which encourages people to find what's important in their lives.

“For example, we should monitor whether we're overworking and if we should be spending more time with our families,” he said.