JOHNS CREEK—Allen Hunt, Ph.D., author and convert to Catholicism, will present the Lenten mission at his home parish, St. Brigid Church in Johns Creek on Monday to Wednesday, Feb. 22-24. All are welcome to attend.

The theme of the parish mission will be “Experiencing Jesus: Three Nights to Accept Pope Francis’ Invitation to Encounter Christ.”

The church is located at 3400 Old Alabama Rd. in Johns Creek. The program each evening will be from 7-8 p.m. Childcare will be provided.

Hunt will speak at the Sunday Masses Feb. 21 to offer a preview of the program. On Wednesday, Feb. 24, a penance service will follow the program with 15 to 20 priests to be available to offer the sacrament of reconciliation.

“We’ll look at, in the Gospel of John, different people who have an encounter with Jesus,” said Hunt.

Each night examines a different person’s meeting with Jesus including Nicodemus, the woman at the well and the woman caught in adultery.

Hunt said the mission program is a “first cousin” to a Bible study on the Gospel of John he is writing.

Although it has taken six months to put the program on paper, Hunt has been speaking, writing and thinking about these encounters with Jesus for nearly 30 years.

In his 2013 apostolic exhortation, “The Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis invites all to encounter Christ and evangelize. The pope’s invitation, said Hunt, is the genesis of this parish mission.

“He’s terrific. He’s very real,” said Hunt about Pope Francis. “He’s got the unique ability to meet people where they are.”

Hunt entered the Catholic Church in 2008, stepping aside as pastor of one of the largest Methodist congregations in the world. He chronicled this journey in the book, “Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor: How I Discovered the Hidden Treasures of the Catholic Church.”

Hunt has written several books encouraging Catholics to recognize the role of the faith in their lives. His most recent book is “The 21 Undeniable Secrets of Marriage,” and Hunt has been traveling to parishes nationwide to present “Passion & Purpose for Marriage.”

While the Catholic Church teaches what the sacrament of marriage is, Hunt said there’s not a lot to inspire or equip married couples along the way.

“The response has been really strong,” he said.

Also slated to talk at the 2016 Eucharistic Congress in Atlanta in June, Hunt shared that he will speak on “the most powerful word in the English language.”

Hunt received his undergraduate and master’s degrees at Mercer and Emory Universities respectively. He earned a Ph.D. in New Testament and ancient Christian origins from Yale University. Hunt and his wife, Anita, have two grown daughters and are excitedly awaiting the birth of their first grandchild this year.