Church signs give motorists food for thought
Aug. 4, 2006 News media contact: Fran Coode Walsh * (615) 742-5458* Nashville {465}
NOTE: A UMTV report and photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org.
By John Gordon*
Just off the busy Washington beltway, or driving along a winding Texas highway, motorists can find food for thought as pastors learn the power of advertising.
Signs outside churches carry messages ranging from inspirational to humorous.
"Always keep your words soft and sweet just in case you have to eat them," read a sign outside North Bethesda United Methodist Church in Bethesda, Md.
Another sign outside Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Silver Spring, Md. carried a reminder to be patient--"God supplies all our needs one day at a time."
Thousands of motorists pass the signs each day on busy highways. The Rev. Debbie Scott said the sign outside North Bethesda United Methodist Church just off the D.C. beltway has become the church's biggest outreach.
"We are known as the church of the sign," she said. "It seems far more folks recognize us from the sign out front than the steeple on top."
Pastors use the Internet, suggestions from members, their own imaginations and even messages in fortune cookies to come up with clever sayings for their signs.
"The feedback's been tremendous," said Scott.
"Sometimes, we'll just get a message on our answering machine, somebody driving by with their cell phone that was stopped at the light, saying, 'You know, that really made me think,'" she said. "Some folks will call and say, 'You know, you must have been thinking about me when you put that sign up because it really spoke to me and lifted me.'"
John Buhl, a student who lives near North Bethesda, is a regular reader of the sign.
"It inspires me to do better, usually, with my life," said Buhl. "(It) makes me feel good inside afterwards."
Bethesda resident Angela Mattison also takes notice.
"I read it all the time," she said. "It makes me feel good, I think they have good messages."
Good Shepherd's pastor, the Rev. Joye Jones, never misses a chance to add some humor to the church's sign.
"An awful lot of the signs are funny or at least have a hint of humor to them," Jones said, "So that people can kind of chuckle and say, 'Oh, well, maybe these Methodists aren't so stuffy after all.'"
Some of Jones' favorite sign messages have included, "What the caterpillar calls the end, God calls a butterfly," and, "We use duct tape to fix everything. God used nails."
"I just hope it brings somebody a little lightening of their day or a little bit of an 'aha' moment that just makes it a little better," said Jones.
Wade Johnston, a member of Summit United Methodist Church in Marshall, Texas, changes the sign each week alongside a busy highway.
"I just hope that it has a positive influence on people," said Johnston. "I've never had anything but positive comments."
One of Johnston's favorite messages was, "The best vitamin for a Christian is B1."
Some church members recall the messages on signs years later.
"My favorite saying was, 'For longstanding problems, try kneeling,'" said Joyce Newcomb, a member of North Bethesda. "It's very short and it's certainly to the point. It came at a time when the message meant something to me."
Other recent messages have included, "Success depends on your backbone, not your wishbone," and, "If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague."
Pastors also said the signs draw visitors and new members.
"More than any other source, when we ask potential new members how they found us, the response is the sign," said Scott.
"There's something about it that catches their eye. They are starting to see the humor and want to see what's behind it."
For those who can't drive by North Bethesda, the sign messages are posted weekly on the church's Web site at http://www.northbethesdaumc.org.
"I think the importance is a presence in the community," said Scott. "It allows folks to get a sense of who we are."
*Gordon is a freelance producer and writer based in Marshall, Texas.
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United Methodist News Service Photos and stories also available at: http://umns.umc.org
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