One in 30 Million

The notorious phrase "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" goes up in flames when Tommy Sparger gets near it.

First, the pictures are posted on the Internet.

Second, Sparger is an Assemblies of God Pastor who strives to maintain transparency with his congregation.

Good thing, because it's hardly possible to hide from recognition as the 30 millionth audience member of the Las Vegas show Cirque du Soleil. That's right, Sparger purchased ticket No. 30,000,000 on Oct. 19 in the popular show's 16th year in Vegas.

He didn't know it until the show started. But even getting pulled from his chair by "blue dudes," as he calls them, and handed a 4-foot bucket of popcorn with balloons, spotlights and camera flashes all around, he wasn't convinced.

"They came and grabbed me by the arm, and I just sort of thought I was part of the show, and they were just screwing with me," says Sparger, the pastor of North Point Church in northwest Springfield. "It's just this amazing show, and you're ready for it to start, and the next thing you know, you're the center of attention. It was just crazy, surreal. But when they got my name and the spelling, I knew they meant business."

After the "Mystére" show at Treasure Island Casino & Resort, Sparger and his wife, Rachel, were invited backstage to meet the characters and were lavished with swag bags. The real grand prize was roundtrip airfare to Las Vegas, where they'll stay seven days in a Treasure Island suite and receive VIP tickets to the six Cirque du Soleil shows.

Sparger says he was in Las Vegas for a semiformal pastor mentorship conference along with 11 other pastors invited by Oklahoma Pastor Craig Groeschel of LifeChurch. Sparger and his wife flew out to Vegas a few days early to catch a show or two, notably Cirque du Soleil's "Love," a tribute to his favorite band, The Beatles. The couple liked it so much, they decided to squeeze in another Cirque show their last night in town.

By midnight Oct. 19, the media-savvy pastor had blasted messages on Twitter and Facebook:

"I was the 30 millionth customer at Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. They called me out of the crowd. Won 7 days in Vegas. Got to meet cast."

A few of his 2,422 Facebook friends erupted from the news, posting 27 comments:

• "That's cool, 30 millionth. ... Did they know you don't gamble?" says Tony Iaguessa.

• "Do I see a sermon series coming?" asks Judy Schiller.

• "Bull-honkery" writes Danny Bixby, perhaps facetiously playing doubting Thomas.

The Spargers posted photos on Facebook, and the news spread quickly, even getting picked up by a Las Vegas entertainment blog.

Sparger says his congregation - now up to 3,450 members and recognized as the nation's ninth fastest-growing, according to Outreach Magazine's latest issue - thought his Vegas excursion was hilarious.

"I don't think some of them believed me. They thought I was screwing with them," he says. "Sounds like something I'd do."

And yes, there's a good chance the Cirque celebration will make it to the pulpit at North Point Church.

"That thing is way too good not to be part of a sermon illustration," Sparger says. "I'm sure it will find its way in."

Cirque du Soleil, a 25-year-old Quebec, Canada-based theater company, performs six shows in Vegas and 20 shows worldwide. The company claims more than 90 million people have watched the shows in more than 200 cities on five continents.

These were the first two shows for the Spargers. Now, they've got some VIP treatment coming.

"I don't know what that means. But I'll do it," says the low-key Sparger. "We'll probably (return to Las Vegas) when it gets good and cold in the wintertime - go out and enjoy a week of sun in the desert, Cirque du Soleil shows and chilling out."