Comments on: Billboards from the dark side

By: Bijaun

Bijaun — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:08:32 +0000

Hey all, I want to just mention that Shane and Fred both took up my invitation to come to Camps Bay United Church last Sunday. I had a brief chat with them and think that they are amazing people! It is interesting how one forms a picture in your mind of folk based on what you read from or about them. These two guys are super nice and whatever the outcome of this billboard thing, I don’t really mind. God is glorified, and in the process, I got to meet two great people.

By: Tina

Tina — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:43:29 +0000

Hey all!
here’s a thought!
if you don’t come to church because of all the hypocritical people, you better stay away from the cinema, pubs, supermarkets, doctors, beaches etc etc etc because those places also have hypocritical, boring, perjudiced people.
As I see it, those sorts of people are pretty much everywhere!

So why not just come to have a one on one with God who loves all people and doesn’t want any to perish.
Tina

By: Bijaun

Bijaun — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:31:45 +0000

You are right Fred, and I cannot answer for all the “heathens” as you say, but interesting enough, the world thinks that all people in the church are saved and holy. Many of the teenagers that come to our youth are not saved, they often come as it is something to do on a weekday, or for fun, or because they are hoping to find some hope. Why they come is not my greatest concern, it is what happens when they are there. I believe that God’s Spirit works in the hearts of these people, and after a while, they consider giving their lives to Christ. I care for them, not tell them what to do and what not, the Bible was never meant to be a Strepsil, therefore, it does not belong in anyone’s throat.

Think about this: the world thinks that the church is full of boring judgmental prejudice people. What if you had to come to church one Sunday? When you walk out the door, someone sees you and the rest of the folk leaving and in the back of their minds, they think: “judgmental boring Christians!” Is that true of you? I don’t think so. One must first come and check it out, then consider if that is still a valid viewpoint.

By: Fred

Fred — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:15:18 +0000

Wow, nice one guys.

Shane, I think the key question that you need to ask Bijaun is not whether the 30-40 people at the church think it’s a cool ad. It’s whether any ‘heathen’ think it’s a cool ad…?

By: Shane

Shane — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:01:41 +0000

Bijaun, I’ll take you up on your invitation of coming to visit your church. I would however like you to show me around if possible – it’s not easy being a ’stranger’ in a new place. Can you get hold of me to arrange a Sunday? My email details are on the About page. Thanks.

Everyone else, i’ll blog/film/twitter my visit.

By: Bijaun

Bijaun — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:29:50 +0000

Hey all the above!!! Here is some news… I am the youth pastor at that church. First of all, thanks for the lovely advertising you all are doing for God.We know that exposure is good, so keep it going, that counts for you too Shane. Oh, yeah, by the way, however cheesy you might think the ads are, they work, we have a around 30-40 youth at this church. They are all on facebook and think this is a cool ad. We also have a ministry at Camps Bay High School with some 70-80 students. I run a group that meets during the week, some having been models that traveled the world etc. So as much as the world out there thinks that church is some cheese factory, why not come to Camps Bay United Church and see for yourself. That would be a very brave thing to do, wouldn’t it? Surprisingly you will find that no-one there judge you or try sell you a pancake and a cup of tea. Thank you once again for the great marketing you have done for us. Chio!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:23:22 +0000

“Shane the pretentious potato peeler”? “Pompous comments”? Gee, feel Gods LOVE in these comments!

By: Tina

Tina — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 06:00:24 +0000

Our God is a God of love and He is interested in the individual. The person who compiles the marketing/advertising for this Fellowship is lead by The Lord. If God lead him to create this poster and the message reached only ONE single person, then this sign is a success in God’s plans. Unlike commercial marketing that aspires to reach as many as possible – (yes, God also wants to reach as many as possible) but He also loves each one of us and does not want any of us to be ‘lost’.
You see, the mere fact that there was all this response to this poster is creating food for thought and God can and will use that to His advantage. Marketing success in God’s eyes is not the same as in the world’s eyes.He loves YOU too! ;-D

By: Mel

Mel — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 05:50:28 +0000

Hmmm…finding it hard to swallow some of your own cheesy criticsm? Just because this is not in your favoured electronic idiom doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a poor piece of communication – But hey, perhaps you guys would like to step up to the plate on this? Maybe you guys should get out your twenty something flipcharts and suggest something that will, in your view, talk to your friends – on the billboard. How about it – they may even like what you have to say.

By: Fred

Fred — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:07:05 +0000

Shane, you’ve opened a can of worms here mate.

Tina, Mel, etc. take a pill. Somehow you’ve missed that Shane is not insulting Christianity, or mocking God or faith in any way. This article is leveled at a poor advert. The youth market (at whom the billboard is aimed) is not interested in a contrived engagement attempt. It smacks of a group of 30-something church folk trying too hard to ‘tap into a younger audience’ (You can picture the elders drawing organograms on a flip chart).

You can give them credit for trying, but that’s not what Shane is focusing on here. There are some great examples of church marketing (e.g. http://tinyurl.com/5dgmmg), and this is not one of them.