August 19, 2009 – Jeff Yeary believes worshippers should enjoy themselves in the church. Or on top of it, as he demonstrated Sunday morning to fulfill a friendly bet with his congregation.

Yeary, pastor of Brookton Baptist Church on Clarks Bridge Road, told church members that if they raised $3,000 toward a new building, he would preach from the rooftop, wearing a hula skirt and wig.

“I never thought for a minute they could do it,” Yeary said. “I never even gave it a thought that the objectives could be reached.”

But then, the church raised $1,200 from a barbecue plate fundraiser.

Time passed by and “nothing came in, so I thought I was off the hook,” he said.

Later, he received a $2,000 check from the owner of the company where he holds a job in maintenance.

“Don’t think God doesn’t have a sense of humor,” Yeary said, laughing. “I first thought about hiding it. … I knew when I saw that check, I was in trouble.”

Yeary did as he promised, wearing the skirt over his dress pants, along with a long blonde wig atop his head.

“We had a wonderful time,” he said. “Everything was wonderful. I didn’t fall off the roof.”

Yeary added, “I wanted to show the people that God works in strange ways and we have an awesome God. And he does have a sense of humor — it’s isn’t always gloom and doom.”

source: Jeff Gill (jgill@gainesvilletimes.com), Gainesville Times