wfn.org | United Church of Christ launches nationwide campaign

[powellb@ucc.org]

United Church of Christ launches nationwide campaign expected to reach 60
percent of U.S. population with edgy, crossover ad

Barb Powell, press contact
(216) 736-2175
powellb@ucc.org

<http://www.ucc.org>

For immediate release
Nov. 29, 2004

CLEVELAND -- The United Church of Christ announced today (Nov. 29) a
nationwide advertising campaign, running Dec. 1-26, that includes TV
commercials airing on network and cable stations.

In stark contrast to prevailing rhetoric about moral values, the United
Church of Christ's message offers an edgy allegory in a campaign targeted
to Americans who feel alienated from church.

The debut 30-second commercial features two muscle-bound "bouncers"
standing guard outside a fabled, picturesque church and selecting which
persons are permitted to attend Sunday services. Written text interrupts
the scene, announcing, "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we." A
narrator then proclaims the United Church of Christ's commitment to Jesus'
extravagant welcome: "No matter who you are, or where you are on life's
journey, you are welcome here."

"The symbolism in this commercial reflects the very real rejection people
feel toward church," says Ron Buford, the campaign's director. Though it
has more than 1.3 million members in about 6,000 congregations across the
country, the United Church of Christ (UCC) is widely unknown and the UCC
hopes to improve its name-recognition among potential U.S. churchgoers --
especially young persons. "The comment I hear most often when people visit
a UCC church for the first time is, 'I never knew that a church like this
existed,'" says Buford.

Declaring that the UCC must "not succumb to relentless erosion," the Rev.
John H. Thomas, UCC General Minister and President, states, "In an age of
media saturation, if you are not visible on television, the popular
assumption is that you do not exist. This effort shows the world that we
have a bold and dynamic message to proclaim."

The advertising campaign is tied to an ambitious program of equipping local
church leaders to welcome newcomers into the worship, fellowship and
mission life of their congregations. Thousands of clergy and lay leaders
have been trained, using materials that build on the slogan, "God is Still
Speaking," a modern rendition of the farewell by Pilgrim pastor, John
Robinson, to his congregation of dissidents who set sail on the Mayflower
for the New World. "Do not cling to where Calvin and Luther left us,"
Robinson said. "God hath yet more light and truth to break forth from God's
Holy Word."

The Pilgrims are one of the forebear streams of the United Church of
Christ. As a blend of four distinct Christian traditions -- Congregational,
Christian, Evangelical and Reformed -- the UCC includes some of the
country's oldest congregations and structures.

The ad was test marketed in six U.S. markets last spring. During this time
period, the UCC's national offices in Cleveland, Ohio, were flooded by
unsolicited letters and e-mail messages of support. There were many
first-time visits to United Church of Christ congregations from viewers.
Given the overwhelming response from the public and members alike, a
national rollout of the ad was a clear mandate.

"This is an opportunity for the United Church of Christ to renew its
distinctive voice as a people of welcome, justice and passion for the
Gospel," says Thomas. "This initiative will help us fall in love again with
the United Church of Christ, be generous in financial support, and turn our
hearts toward a world that needs to experience the presence, embrace, and
encouragement of Jesus."

The UCC's current name recognition is "negligible at best," says Ted
Pulton, a managing partner with Gotham, Inc., a major New York advertising
firm that has offered its services to the UCC at cost. Focus group testing
revealed that only a small handful of participants said they knew something
about the denomination. Random testing also uncovered strong negative
feelings about churches in general, regardless of denomination. A large
percentage of respondents said they held churches to be responsible for
past hurts in their lives, and many traced their feelings of inadequacy to
negative church experiences. Too many congregations, they said, left them
feeling unwelcome, financially inadequate, and inappropriately dressed.

Following this initial $1.7 million ad buy, the UCC plans to invest an
increasing amount of resources into advertising during the next four years.
In so doing, it is following in the footsteps of other denominations that
have crossed over into secular media -- increasingly relying on the
airwaves to increase exposure -- including the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Days Saints, the United Methodist Church, and the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America.

The commercial may be viewed by visiting <www.stillspeaking.com>. Media
persons needing VHS or DVD copies of the commercial should contact Barb
Powell at (216) 736-2175 or via e-mail at <powellb@ucc.org>.

The UCC's rich historical tradition includes launching the first attempt at
congregational democracy (1630); leading the movement to abolish slavery
(1700) and the spiritual revival known as the Great Awakening (1730);
staging the nation's first act of civil disobedience that inspired the
"Boston Tea Party" (1773) and hiding the Liberty Bell when the British
occupied Philadelphia (1777); being the first mainline denomination to
ordain an African-American pastor (1785); forming the United States' first
foreign missionary society (1810); coming to the aid of the
illegally-enslaved Amistad captives (1839), an event that led to the U.S.
Supreme Court's first civil rights ruling; being first to ordain a woman
(1853); being first to ordain an openly gay man (1972); and coining the
term environmental justice (1987). The United Church of Christ's national
offices speak to, but not for, its nearly 6,000 congregations and 1.3
million members. In the spirit of its rich tradition, UCC congregations
remain autonomous, but also strongly in covenant with each other and with
the denomination's regional and national bodies.
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