The Ministry of Signs

By Dennis A. Johnson

Messages reach out to people passing by Pennsylvania church

 “My wife and I finally have found a church to join!”

 Imagine my surprise when a fellow teacher with whom I had spent many hours sharing playground duty hit me with this news.  I never knew that Bill and Diane were “church hunting,” and I silently chastised myself for missing an opportunity to invite them to my own church.

I asked him which church they had found and how they had come to make their decision.  He mentioned the community nondenominational church outside of town – a church that was known for its weekly message board that always carried some real food for thought.  The sign was so popular that motorists (including myself) would go out of their way to pass by and read the “gem” of the week on the message board.  Sometimes these gems were funny or thought provoking, but they were always uplifting. 

My friend told me that he and his wife felt that any church that cared enough to meet the needs of strangers passing by on the highway must be a church that truly cared about its own people, and so they joined.  I marveled at the fact that evidently church beliefs, doctrine, and theology meant little to this intelligent, well-educated couple.  What seemed to matter most was that they had a found a church of caring people.

This little life lesson has stuck with me for the past twenty years, and I felt that I had to learn something important from it.  Sure enough, I found myself on the building committee of our new church in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, and soon after the building was completed we began discussing what type of sign we would put up along the highway to identify our church.  Some on the committee felt that a simple sign featuring the church seal and the name of the church would be sufficient.  Some of us, however, wanted our sign to include a message board.

 I was so thankful that we chose the latter.  It has made all the difference in the world to Bethel Park in our outreach ministry.

I have had the responsibility for the past three years to change the signboard weekly and have taken the job seriously.  I pray over each message.  Some of the messages are scriptural, others are thought-provoking mini-sermons.  Because of this “sign ministry” we have received letters and phone calls from passers-by.  Members have mentioned in passing conversation where they attend church, and the response has been, “Oh, you go the church with the great messages!”

 We have had reports that people pass by the sign just to read the message for the week, and if they happen to go by fast they will turn around to catch the other side.

I have compiled a list of messages that I share on request.  Some of my favorites: Religion is behavior, not just belief. Free faith-gifts given here every Sunday. Looking for a loving family?  Come and join ours. Silence is not always golden; sometimes it’s just yellow. Recycling center for broken lives. Help fight crime:  Teach your kids the ten commandments. On the wrong road?  This is a good place to turn around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One evening when I was sitting in an area restaurant talking with another minister and his wife, I told them we were the new church in town.  The minister’s wife said, “You know, we thought you folks weren’t Christians until we started reading your messages on the church sign.”

Another day, as I was changing the sign, a lay minister stopped by and told me that he took time weekly to jot down our message, to use it at his church about thirty miles down the road.  He also expressed gratitude for the lift the messages gave him on the way to work.

 Our sign indeed has provided to be a special ministry to our community.  I would urge any congregation considering a new sign to think about one with a message board.  Our church name may community to others who they think we are; a message beside that name can let others know who we really are. 

© Saints Herald, December 1994
Used with permission

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