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Church announces $2 million advertising push, 'The Journey'

Aug. 22, 2005

NOTE: A photograph of the Rev. Larry Hollon is available at
http://umns.umc.org.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - The United Methodist Church will begin airing
its newest television commercial Aug. 29, inviting millions of Americans
to join in a journey of faith.

The spot, titled "The Journey," is the newest element of the
denomination's advertising and welcoming ministry, said the Rev. Larry
Hollon, chief executive at United Methodist Communications. The agency
manages the ministry with the theme of "Open hearts. Open minds. Open
doors."

"We are on a journey that leads us toward God," Hollon explained. "This
spot shows that persons seeking a path for their faith can find a home
in the United Methodist Church." The commercial, shown in 15-, 30- and
60-second versions, shows several people following various trails of
items. The paths come together with an invitation to visit a United
Methodist church.

The commercial will air on 18 cable networks, including three Hispanic
networks, Aug. 29 through the week of Sept. 18. Hollon said the
commercial would broadcast more than 1,200 times during the
back-to-school period. The denomination is paying $2 million for the
advertising time.

In addition to the national campaign, United Methodist Communications
has awarded grants totaling nearly $313,000 for 64 local media campaigns
across the United States. The local campaigns involve a mix of
advertising media, such as local broadcast and cable television,
billboards, radio and cinema. Every dollar provided by the national
agency is matched by a dollar from local United Methodist organizations.

Any United Methodist local church or organization with a television,
radio, outdoor or cinema media plan is eligible for a United Methodist
Communications matching grant. A maximum of $50,000 can be awarded.
Applications will be available Nov. 1 at www.ignitingministry.org for
the 2006 Lenten season media campaign. The deadline for applying is Dec.
1.

Hollon said the new commercials are designed to appeal to people ages 25
to 54. The commercials are the first element of a new wave of
advertising by the nearly 11-million member denomination. The next
national flight of commercials will air between Thanksgiving and
Christmas. The denomination plans to spend up to $25 million on
advertising between 2005 and 2008.

The United Methodist Church began its "Open hearts. Open minds. Open
doors." advertising and welcoming campaign in 2001. Research by Ventura,
Calif.,-based Barna Research Group showed the campaign increased
first-time and overall worship attendance in 150 test churches across
the United States between 2001 and 2004. Tracking will take place in 300
churches during the 2005-08 period.

The commercials will air on A&E, ABC Family, Animal Planet, BET, CNN and
CNN Headline News, Discovery Channel, Fox News Channel, Hallmark
Channel, Home and Garden Television, The History Channel, Lifetime
Movie, TBS Superstation, TNT, TV One, USA Network, The Weather Channel,
and WGN Superstation. Spanish-language commercials will be broadcast on
Telefutura, Galavision, and Univision.

The commercial will have the most airings, 264, on CNN and CNN Headline
News, followed by 138 on The Weather Channel.

This story was adapted from a press release from United Methodist
Communications.

News media contact: Stephen Drachler, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5411
or sdrachler@umcom.org.

********************

United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org

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