You are aware of our FACE YOUR FEARS promotional campaign that we are doing as we have nearly 1,000 FACE YOUR FEARS yard signs around the area that direct people to a special website designed to invite them to our FACE YOUR FEARS message series that begins Easter weekend. Many times when one church does a marketing campaign such as this, some other churches kind of get their “nose knocked out of place” sort of speak. But during the first week of our yard signs saturating our community I received this wonderful e-mail from a pastor of a nearby church whose church property is literally in the middle of two well-travelled roads:
Greetings Pastor Scott, I don’t think we have formally met; my name is Wes Siegrist, lead pastor of your neighboring church up Doe Run road at Erb Mennonite…I’m writing you today in support of your ‘Facing the Fears’ project. I’m intrigued by the clever advertising of ‘signs’ I’ve seen throughout the area and within my own neighborhood. I also liked your website designed to promote this upcoming event. As you know, our church sits at a great location, with great road frontage along Doe Run and three well travelled intersections. I do not allow or approve of political signs which people seem to randomly place on our property without permission.
However, one of the things we care about at Erb is networking and encouraging what God is doing in our region – Kingdom building. Therefore, if your Ministry Team/Staff so desires to place 4 or 5 signs on our property to promote your ‘facing your fears’ event, go for it! You have my permission. While some may see this as a conflict of interest, I do not. I support your work and ministry and pray that it will be successful in touching lives for Jesus Christ. If our location at Erb can help you promote this event, we want to do so. Don’t feel obligated to place promotional signs in our yard since I contacted you. But I just felt led to give you all permission to do so if you were so included. For me this demonstrates unity in Christ. Let me know if you have any questions. My only request would be that if a few signs are posted, they would then also be removed when promotion is completed.
What a refreshing and encouraging e-mail that was. So, I sent Pastor Wes this e-mail back in reply:
Hi Wes! What a wonderful e-mail! I am blown away by your generous offer. We would be honored to put a few signs up on your church property. I will contact one of our staff and ask them to do just that this week. We will also be sure they get taken down after Easter. I only ask one thing – please allow me to take you out to lunch some day as a “thank you” and to have the privilege of getting to know you. Why don’t you send me a few days yet this month that you might be available and I will check them against my calendar.
When churches cooperate – the Kingdom wins! Thanks, Pastor Wes, for this reminder! I needed to be reminded of this because I had to ask myself this question, “Would I have sent an e-mail like that if I had seen another church’s yard signs?”
Greetings Pastor Scott, I don’t think we have formally met; my name is Wes Siegrist, lead pastor of your neighboring church up Doe Run road at Erb Mennonite…I’m writing you today in support of your ‘Facing the Fears’ project. I’m intrigued by the clever advertising of ‘signs’ I’ve seen throughout the area and within my own neighborhood. I also liked your website designed to promote this upcoming event. As you know, our church sits at a great location, with great road frontage along Doe Run and three well travelled intersections. I do not allow or approve of political signs which people seem to randomly place on our property without permission.
However, one of the things we care about at Erb is networking and encouraging what God is doing in our region – Kingdom building. Therefore, if your Ministry Team/Staff so desires to place 4 or 5 signs on our property to promote your ‘facing your fears’ event, go for it! You have my permission. While some may see this as a conflict of interest, I do not. I support your work and ministry and pray that it will be successful in touching lives for Jesus Christ. If our location at Erb can help you promote this event, we want to do so. Don’t feel obligated to place promotional signs in our yard since I contacted you. But I just felt led to give you all permission to do so if you were so included. For me this demonstrates unity in Christ. Let me know if you have any questions. My only request would be that if a few signs are posted, they would then also be removed when promotion is completed.
What a refreshing and encouraging e-mail that was. So, I sent Pastor Wes this e-mail back in reply:
Hi Wes! What a wonderful e-mail! I am blown away by your generous offer. We would be honored to put a few signs up on your church property. I will contact one of our staff and ask them to do just that this week. We will also be sure they get taken down after Easter. I only ask one thing – please allow me to take you out to lunch some day as a “thank you” and to have the privilege of getting to know you. Why don’t you send me a few days yet this month that you might be available and I will check them against my calendar.
When churches cooperate – the Kingdom wins! Thanks, Pastor Wes, for this reminder! I needed to be reminded of this because I had to ask myself this question, “Would I have sent an e-mail like that if I had seen another church’s yard signs?”
2 comments:
Great to hear your thoughts on collaborative work between churches. Churches can have one of three relationships — cool, competitive, or collaborative. It's great to hear stories of how God works in a collaborative manner.
http://verticalresonator.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/a-tale-of-two-churches-cool-competitive-or-collaborative/
Thanks, Bryan! It is great to hear from you! We think of you often around here - sometimes there even nice thoughts!!! Just kidding! Love ya, bro!
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