Perhaps transfer lines 2 and 3? But I’m guessing there was a very good reason for the order.

David McKay - 11 July 2008 05:29 PM

Perhaps transfer lines 2 and 3? But I’m guessing there was a very good reason for the order.

Hi David,
When I first wrote it, I had lines 2 and 3 the other way round as you suggested.
By putting the thru Jesus Christ as line 2 I was trying to tie that phrase to both line 1 and line 3 - what I would call a double read....
but I’m not sure whether that really works here....
8-)
Terry

Knew there was a reason

And I see it now.

Dunno if I would have, if I read it passing by.

For next week:

WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING
THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH:
JESUS CHRIST

Benjamin Nathan Pakula - 12 July 2008 10:12 AM

For next week:

WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING
THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH:
JESUS CHRIST

Good morning Benjamin,

I don’t know what your signage and presentation looks like, but I wonder if some folk would read it and think that ‘Jesus Christ’ is saying ‘WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH’ - and therefore interpret another meaning than what we had intended.

I don’t know how subtle we can be with signs such as this one, and am unsure whether subtlety works in cases like these anyway.

If we’re trying to make a bold statement to get a certain point across ( and the tone of the following sign may not be what you are looking to achieve ) - I wonder what would happen if you added a word to now make it read :

WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING
THE REAL HEAD OF THE CHURCH....

JESUS CHRIST !

But would we just end up showing the world a ‘theological statement’ that makes US happy - and just looks like we’re ‘having a dig’ at catholicism - or are we really trying to do something that communicates with Christian love ? There is a fine balance - and a ‘line’ - that perhaps we should not cross.

There is a difference to what we can put in our ( internal ) printed newsletters and to what we place on public display. Our weekly printed bulletins offer us a medium where we can preach and teach those who choose to come through our doors - whereas we should use outdoor signage advertising to visually reach out in order to provoke thought and a reaction - and ideally not a negative one.

But then again, seen in it’s innocence and purity of meaning, your original wording does appear straightforward. It’s just how passers-by happen to interpret the meaning and motive behind the wording that can cause problems - or perhaps present opportunities.

Cheers, Kevin

If we’re trying to make a bold statement to get a certain point across ( and the tone of the following sign may not be what you are looking to achieve ) - I wonder what would happen if you added a word to now make it read :

WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING
THE REAL HEAD OF THE CHURCH....

JESUS CHRIST !

But would we just end up showing the world a ‘theological statement’ that makes US happy - and just looks like we’re ‘having a dig’ at catholicism - or are we really trying to do something that communicates with Christian love ? There is a fine balance - and a ‘line’ - that perhaps we should not cross.

Thanks Kevin. I totally agree. It’s certainly good to be cautious about just ‘having a dig’. Personally, being the young and often immature man that I am, this is an area within which I need to exercise much self-control.  I seem to be better at communicating with angsty bluntness than with Christian love.

Having said that, I do think there’s a reason that evangelicals belong to denominations that we consider to be ‘Protestant’. The Reformation was, amongst other things, a ‘protest’ to the theology and conduct of the Roman Catholic church. Protests are by necessity, public. Therefore, I think there is something acceptable about highlighting the fact that there are real differences between the evangelical and the Roman Catholic church, as long as it’s not any more offensive than the offence of the gospel.

So then, does my sign (with your helpful editing) fit into such a category? I for one, don’t know that I’m mature enough to make that assessment, which is one of the reasons I post the ideas here first.

You may be pleased to know that my boss (Sandy Grant) is the one who will make the call anyway.

Terry Gallagher - 11 July 2008 05:38 PM

David McKay - 11 July 2008 05:29 PM

Perhaps transfer lines 2 and 3? But I’m guessing there was a very good reason for the order.

Hi David,
When I first wrote it, I had lines 2 and 3 the other way round as you suggested.
By putting the thru Jesus Christ as line 2 I was trying to tie that phrase to both line 1 and line 3 - what I would call a double read....
but I’m not sure whether that really works here....
8-)
Terry

Hi David,
I remembered the other reason I put it in this order:
Thru Jesus Christ
Talk to God Direct

I thought that in the other order some people could interpret the sign to be a bit self-contradictory i.e. saying Talk to God direct and then implying you have to do the talking thru Jesus....

whereas I am trying to say that the talking to God direct is enabled through Jesus.

Who said church signs were not theological treatises? 8-)

Anyway, my revised form is hopefully slightly clearer:
BYPASS THE JAMS & QUEUES
THRU JESUS YOU CAN
TALK TO GOD DIRECT
RIGHT HERE & NOW

Grace & peace,
Terry

Ben and Kev came up with:
WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING
THE REAL HEAD OF THE CHURCH....

JESUS CHRIST !

Hi Ben,
Welcome back to this thread and congrats on your recent arrival!

I think there is a good idea here.....
one thing that wasn’t clear to me is whether you meant a meeting that would happen this Sunday or in heaven/judgement day.

I realise you wanted to have Jesus Christ as the punchline
but I feel that still leaves you open to the misinterpretation that Jesus is the speaker of what is above.

Another thought i had was to use universal rather than real....
to emphasise that Jesus, the incarnate Word and his written Word is above all bishops, whether they are bishop of Rome or bishop of Sydney (= sola scriptura).

So my suggestion is along these lines:
Here this Sunday meet
the universal head
of the Christian Church
.....Jesus Christ

Unmerited favour to you from God,
Terry

Terry Gallagher - 13 July 2008 12:24 PM

Anyway, my revised form is hopefully slightly clearer:
BYPASS THE JAMS & QUEUES
THRU JESUS YOU CAN
TALK TO GOD DIRECT
RIGHT HERE & NOW

Grace & peace,
Terry

Hi again Terry,

I wonder if that last line could be clearer. If we say “right here & now” - are we implying that it is THIS place or church where you can pray ?

What would happen if the last line read “ANYPLACE ANYTIME” ?

BYPASS THE JAMS & QUEUES
THRU JESUS YOU CAN
TALK TO GOD DIRECT
ANYPLACE ANYTIME

Cheers, Kevin

Hi Kevin,

Thanks, that’s a valid point...I don’t want people to think it’s saying:
The Lord is in the house!!

On the other hand I like the call to action of “right here and now”
so forgetting about location I think I’ll go with:

BYPASS THE JAMS & QUEUES
THRU JESUS YOU CAN
TALK TO GOD DIRECT
RIGHT NOW OR ANYTIME

Unmerited favour to you from God,
Terry

This week, we’ve gone for

TOO MANY PEOPLE
WANT TO SERVE GOD
- BUT ONLY IN AN
ADVISORY CAPACITY

A while back we came up with a few suggestions for the Olympics. But surely someone’s got something better. Get your thinking caps on!

Just to remind you, here are my fairly ordinary efforts…

Physical training has some value.
But gospel training (or maybe ‘training with Jesus’) has great value
Now and into eternity.
(See 1 Timothy 4:8)

Or

Run so as to get the prize
... the prize that lasts forever
[See 1 Corinthians 9:24-25]

Or if you don’t like the quote/paraphrase approach, what about

“Fight the good fight.
Run the race.”
View it all here this Sunday at church!

or

“Fight the good fight”

Discover what a good fight is
any Sunday at church

And Terry suggested…

THE OLYMPIC SPIRIT
WILL FADE IN 2 WEEKS
GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT
CAN INSPIRE US FOREVER

Please improve!

“Fight the good fight”

Discover what a good fight is
any Sunday at church

Now that one I like!

We trying the following at present...

FAITH

OF GREATER WORTH THAN GOLD

1 PETER 1:7

Hi Sandy

I like your suggestion. Think I might take it up.

We have:
ONE HOPE
ONE DREAM?

BTW Terry- the ‘Why pay $5,000 to annoy a Catholic’ was ours, not some Northside church. One of our bible study groups made it up. It made Columate.

Tim

Tim D Foster - 17 August 2008 10:40 AM

the ‘Why pay $5,000 to annoy a Catholic’ was ours, not some Northside church. One of our bible study groups made it up. It made Columate.
Tim

Hi Tim,
Sorry for the geographical misattribution....
I must be living too close to the Deep South,
from where you/we are all “northside”....8-)

We have saved the one above about “God’s Holy Spirit can inspire us...” for immediately after the games.

For now we have tried to link the Olympics and our recently completed Ultimate Relationship Mission week, so we have:

WHO WILL SOAR HIGHER
IN BEIJING THIS WEEK?
KNOWING GOD IS THE
ULTIMATE HIGH

Grace & peace,
Terry