Monday, January 02, 2006

NoticeBORED!!


This BLOG is committed to the task of exposing church noticeboards with pithy weekly quotable quotes for the foolishness they absolutely are. Like many other anomilies in the church, we make a mockery of the adage "there's no such thing as bad press!"

While acknowledging that they are often an eye-catching and genuine attempt to raise visibility... the reality is that those pithy quotes come with "way too much baggage!" They carry every boomer misgiving, every bad experience, every reason for consigning 'the church' as an institution to the rich tapestry that is our cultural history. Am I wrong... I have seen a few celebrated examples which give rise to a decent argument against my case.
BUT...

Example One:
Most people have heard of the now history of the competition between the Broadway Hotel and St Barnabas Anglican Church on the Broadway in Sydney.
"Hear John Smith here 7.30pm Sunday" said Barney's noticeboard
It just so happened an elbow bending regular at the pub gave rise to...
"Hear John Smith here everynight"

"The wages of sin is death"... "Apply within"
and so it went on for many years [keeping bus travellers and Column 8 readers entertained...until the pub was sold.

Not everyone was happy.... a patron shot abuse at me as a 'fly by night' when I called in one day for a middy and a copy of the booklet telling the story!!

Example Two:
Anglican Church at Cooks Hill in Newcastle
"Insomnia... we have sermons, come on in and try one!"

SO...
Prove me wrong [find more examples like the two above],
add fuel to the fire, share your discoveries... send your pics and memory of examples you've seen, read about or been horrified by and you may well find it featured here!! Pictures especially welcomed!!
I especially love the ones that give pat answers to some of lifes most difficult experiences and exhort us to smile through all manner of suffering and struggle... great stuff!!

1 comment:

Jonathan said...

Currently on display at Park Avenue Methodist Church in Northampton, situated on the edge of a very busy junction.

"Don't wait for your ship to come in - swim out to it"