MARS - Moses spent 40 days fasting on Mount Sinai before delivering the Ten Commandments.

Noah's life was forever changed after spending 40 days and 40 nights on the ark during the great flood.

David found himself transformed after Goliath's 40-day challenge.

And Jesus Christ himself faced 40 days of temptation in the wilderness before making the ultimate sacrifice for man.

It's clear from many important stories in the Bible that God considers 40 days to be a spiritually-significant time period. And it's why 40 days have been set aside as part of the 40 Days of Purpose.

The event was started in 2000 by evangelist Rick Warren, who led his own congregation through a 40-day teaching event. He was so pleased with the results he decided to share the program

with Christians everywhere.

So Warren developed a curriculum for the 40 Days of Purpose, followed up with his national best-selling novel, "The Purpose Driven Life."

The Rev. Paul Cope, pastor of the Mars Alliance Church, had been part of a revival at his church when he was just 14, and the experience was so moving for him he felt it was something his congregation should experience as well when he heard about Warren's campaign.

"For 40 days we went to church every day," Cope said. "It was a spiritual phenomenon."

This past summer, he introduced the congregation at Mars Alliance to the idea. The campaign at Mars Alliance officially launched Sept. 25 and lasts until Nov. 7.

"I believe that people need to know God's purposes for their individual life," Cope said. "As a church, we needed to know God's purpose for us. So many people don't know what they're here for."

Cope said setting aside time to focus on God helps people to figure out what they want and what they are supposed to be doing with the life God gave them.

During the 40 days, members of the congregation learn five important purposes for their lives: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and evangelism. A daily devotional reading from "The Purpose Driven Life" also is part of the campaign.

Those who are participating in the campaign say they can feel a transformation happening within them.

Joan Bertone, who has been attending Mars Alliance for more than a year, said she had heard about the 40 days campaign before it came to her church.

"My son is a pastor and his church had done it and he raved about it, so that kind of piqued my interest," Bartone said.

When Bertone found out Mars Alliance would be doing it, she agreed to be a community coordinator for the campaign.

"And I knew during the planning stages that this was going to be hard because I could feel the devil working against us," she said. "It just seemed that if it could go wrong, it went wrong ... and it just convinced me this needed to be done."

Bertone had belonged to a small group already and that group decided to participate in the 40 days plan for small groups during the campaign.

"Our group has seen how much can be done by taking the focus off yourself and putting it on God," she said. "For me personally, I see it leading me to fully understand God's purpose for me ... and having me do what he would have me do."

But it's not just the adults who are participating in the campaign. The church's youth also are forming their own small groups for Bible study and discussion.

Andy Berkebile, 13, heads up one of the small groups for youth. As a leader, Berkebile is in charge of leading the group through its weekly meetings.

Berkebile said he agreed to lead a group after being asked by the church's assistant pastor, the Rev. Dave Havener.

"Sometimes I'm nervous, but then I realize that hey, God's with me and he'll help me get it done," Berkebile said of his leadership duties.

It's not the first time Berkebile has been in a small group for Bible study, but it is the first time he's had to lead one.

He said he had the expectation he'd learn some good lessons by participating in the 40 days, but had no idea how valuable those lessons would be.

"I didn't know what to expect of it, really, but I think I'm getting a lot out of it," Berkebile said. "I'm learning that what I can get out of it is what I can give back to God, and that's what the 40 days is teaching me to do."

Seven other churches in Butler County are participating in the current campaign. They are:

Butler Church of the Nazarene, Butler.

Cabot United Methodist Church, Cabot.

Christian Community Church, Mars.

Faith Full Gospel Church, Zelienople.

Saxonburg Memorial Presbyterian Church, Saxonburg.

Sowers Chapel, Sarver.

Woodland Valley Church, Mars.

It's not too late to participate in the event, Cope said. All community members have to do is attend one of the seven participating churches to find out more, or visit the campaign's Web site at www.purposedriven.com.

Cope said he's been so pleased with how the campaign is going his church may do it again someday.

"It's been such an exciting time here, I've not ruled out having us do it again," he said. "I just think it's been very good for us."