Jacobs, Power Team To Perform, Present Message Of The Gospel

There aren’t many people who would lie down on a bed of nails while a huge block of ice is placed on their chest.

But Pastor Barry Foster of Pines Baptist Church has already done it once, and plans to do it again this weekend when John Jacobs and the Power Team perform several times at the church.

The Power Team is a group of extremely stong men who perform feats of strength such as breaking wood, snapping handcuffs and ripping decks of cards in two. They also present the message of the gospel during their performances.

Last year, Foster gingerly placed himself on a bed of nails while a 450-pound block of ice was placed on his chest and pulverized with a sledgehammer. This year, he plans to support an 800-pound block of ice.

“I want to set a record for most ice crushed on a pastor’s chest,” he says.

Foster will only perform his feat one time, with the exact night not yet selected.

Don’t look for him to do it again next year.

“I’m getting old, that’s why,” says the 45-year-old pastor.

Foster insists the experience wasn’t painful. And yes, he was positioned on the points of the nails, not the heads. “Otherwise, what’s the point,” he jokes. “It just felt like a little pressure and it was done. It didn’t even leave a mark.”

The only preparation he recieved was this advice from the Power Team: Lie very still.

His only regret is that he wasn’t able to see the experience, since his face was covered to protect him from flying ice. This year he plans to try and get it recorded on videotape.

Despite his painless experience, it’s not a feat he would recommend that others try.

“Do not try this at home, believe me,” he says.

Foster says that he was skeptical of the group’s prowess at first, thinking there must be some special technique or trick involved. He is now a believer.

“It’s truly amazing what these guys can do. They are just absolutely incredibly strong individuals.”

Foster sees the Power Team performances as a way to get people in the doors.

As obvious proof that things like this can work, Foster tells the story of his father-in-law, who attended church for the first time as a child only because he was promised ice cream if he went.

He later became an evangelist.

“There’s an obvious entertainment value to this,” says Foster. “It lets people know that the church is in touch with their lives. … What we’re trying to communicate is simply the gospel.”

5 DAYS OF SHOWS Power Team The Power Team will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday at Pines Baptist Church, 714 S. Pines. Admission is $2 per person, with a love-offering also being collected. For more information, call the church office at 928-7880.