New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Macon, Georgia is capitalizing on the hype surrounding the Netflix thriller Bird Box. The film stars Sandra Bullock as a mother-of-2 who battles an unknown force to save the lives of her children.
Bird Box was viewed by 45 million subscribers in the 1st week of release, making it Netflix's biggest 7-day viewership of all time.
After surviving an apocalypse that wipes out most of mankind, Mallory (Bullock) and her 2 children seek refuge with a small group of survivors. There she finds love and safety with Tom (Trevante Rhodes).
Mallory learns that a mysterious force causes people to go insane when they are faced with their worst fears.
Mallory, her children and the other survivors wear blindfolds to avoid seeing the mysterious entity. They are forced to rely on their hearing and other senses.
After losing Tom to the mysterious force, Mallory learns of a sanctuary that offers hope and a new life for her children. But the sanctuary is only accessible by navigating a small boat down a hazardous river. In order to survive, Marorie must complete the treacherous two-day journey while blindfolded.
New Hope Macon Church Pastor Chris Cabiness incorporated the film's hype to inspire his flock to come to church wearing blindfolds in order to fully hear his message of hope and survival.
At the end of the sermon, church members remove their blindfolds to face their challenges in life without fear.