United Methodists Begin Back-to-School Advertising Campaign
NASHVILLE –The United Methodist Church is marking the back-to-school season with a $1.5 million national cable television advertising campaign that urges people to focus on God.
“The back-to-school season is a significant time to invite people to attend a United Methodist Church—after summer vacations are past and families begin to regroup and plan their fall activities,” said the Rev. Larry Hollon, chief executive of United Methodist Communications. “Many churches present new programming initiatives during this time of year to connect families to church ministries.” The commercials are designed to appeal to audiences between the ages of 25 to 54.
Two different television spots are included in the fall campaign. The first commercial, titled “I Believe,” begins “I believe no one who asks for help should be turned away.” The commercial showcases the acceptance and inclusiveness of The United Methodist Church.
The second commercial titled “Prayer” reminds us all to believe in the power of prayer with the great anticipation expressed in childlike faith. Both English and Spanish-language versions of this commercial will air.
The commercials are airing on 21 cable networks now through September 17. The two spots will air approximately 1,200 times, creating 244 million impressions. In addition to the national campaign, United Methodist Communications has awarded 70 grants totaling $240,000 to local churches to conduct media campaigns in their communities. Every dollar provided by the national agency will be matched by a dollar from local United Methodist organizations. The local campaigns involve a mix of advertising media, including broadcast and cable television, billboards, radio, and cinema advertising.
The commercials will air on the following networks: 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, TBS Superstation, TNT, TV One, USA Network, The Weather Channel, and WGN Superstation. The Spanish-language commercials will be broadcast on Telefutura, Galavision, and Univision.
The United Methodist Church first began its "Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors." advertising and welcoming campaign in 2001.
Evangelism is 'powerful dynamic' for Methodist movement
By Joan G. LaBarr*
SEOUL, South Korea (UMNS) - Participants in the July 20-24 World Methodist Conference were reminded of the powerful role that evangelism plays in today's world Methodist movement.
The Rev. Maxie D. Dunnam, chairperson of the Division of World Methodist Evangelism, declared that "What world evangelism is doing in leadership development, faith sharing, and connecting congregations throughout the World Methodist Movement is one of the most powerful dynamics in contemporary Christianity."
The Rev. H. Eddie Fox was re-elected world director of evangelism for the World Methodist Council during the Council's July 18-19 session preceding the conference. Council members also set evangelism as a priority for the next five years.
Speaking to some 2,500 Methodists at the conference, he told the dramatic story of the Methodist Church bell in Varna, Bulgaria. The bell was removed by the Communist regime in the 1960s, and three young men, pretending to be workers, moved it from the church grounds and buried it in a secret garden where it remained for 40 years.
"The bell was raised from its tomb, and when a new church was created in the heart of the city, the bell was placed in a new tower, in the highest point above the skyline," Fox said.
"The congregation would not ring the bell until the church was dedicated. Through World Evangelism, a family made a huge sacrifice to help finish the church, and on Sept. 29, 2002, the bell rang again. And today the bell rings."
Fox declared that it is not God's intent that people should live amid violence, destruction, and war. "We are called to ring the bell of salvation, healing, and hope in the world," he emphasized.
Fox carried the bell image throughout his presentation, sharing how the bell rings through the World Evangelism outreach, including:
+International Youth Conferences on Evangelism attended by more than 6,000 young people;
+EvangeMed (medical), EvangeBicy (bicycles), and EvangeBread (food) continued as ministries;
+Faith Sharing New Testaments distributed, some half-million copies in 38 languages;
+Connecting Congregations established on every continent since the ministry began in 1992;
+Training programs conducted for more than 6,000 leaders through the World Evangelism Institute;
+The 800-member "Order of the FLAME (Faithful Leaders as Mission Evangelists)" deployed as persons committed to carrying out the ministry of evangelism.
Fox reminded the delegates that they would have to make sacrifices if they were committed to the world evangelism purpose, "That the world may know Jesus Christ."
He indicated that, "There are parts of our movement which are in decline, and in denial, who are suffering from 'truth' decay." Referencing the song If I Had a Hammer, he reminded delegates that the second verse begins, "If I had a bell…"
"You have a bell, the name is Jesus, and we are called to be the bell ringers through word, deed, and sign in the world," he concluded.
Many delegates gathered around the Peace Bell at the Demilitarized Zone during Sunday worship services there, declaring that the bell would ring in the name of Jesus Christ for all the people on the Korean peninsula.
The Saturday World Evangelism Convocation offered another opportunity to hear how the Methodist Church is bringing hope through worldwide evangelistic outreach.
The Rev. Taavi Hollman, superintendent of the Methodist Church is Estonia, shared how God sustained the people during difficult times and how the church in the former Soviet satellite nation is reaching out today.
The Rev. Wilson Bonfim of Brazil told stories of EvangeMed, which offers medical care to "the poorest of the poor" in Rio and the Amazonian region
Katherine Ng, a member of the World Methodist Council presidium and a leader in the Methodist Church of Hong Kong, told how "Faith-Sharing Ambassadors," are trained and sent out as witnesses
Bishop Mvume Dandala, chief executive of the All-Africa Council of Churches, challenged participants to be faithful ambassadors of the Gospel and the Rev. Darryl Starnes of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, affirmed the assurance of the power of God's Spirit for sharing the Gospel message.
A highlight of the convocation came as individuals committed to support the work of many young evangelists on bicycles in the Mt. Kenya region in Meru, Kenya, through the ministry of World Evangelism and the Kaaga Synod of the Methodist Church in Kenya. Others gave specifically to the call to provide "EvangeBicys" for young evangelists in Ghana.
*LaBarr is director of communications for the United Methodist Church's North Texas Annual Conference. She managed the World Methodist Conference newsroom in Seoul, South Korea
