Our church has a signboard on a fairly busy intersection in the middle of Leichhardt. There have been a number of above average signs in the history of this board, most of them making reference to contemporary events in one way or another:
Where the bloody hell were you last Sunday?
In response to a controversial Australian tourism campaign in the UK: 'Where the bloody hell are you?'
Biannual worshippers welcome here
Just before Easter.
Come to me all you who are Labor and I will give you rest
After the ALP lost the last Federal election.
If you're looking for a sign from God, this might be it
While our rector Tim was away recently, he asked me to put something up. I chose
Death sucks, which seems to have generated some discussion. Yesterday I received a call from local newspaper
The Glebe interested in running a story. Tim told me today that someone graffitied the board, crossing out the "sucks" and replacing it with "rules". A number of parishioners have mentioned overhearing conversations as people pass by. I'd love to hear your reactions too. Also, any thoughts on what might come next? I'm thinking of
Life is a gift, and then a week or two later
I have come that they may have life - Jesus. My thought has been to run with sentiments fairly widely shared (though with strong Christian bases) and then build on them with the third sign. However, I'm very happy to hear other suggestions/improvements.
St John's, Ashfield (whose sign is done by our friend
Andrew E) has recently put up this one:
Church: where relations are more than industrial.
There has been much discussion and controversy surrounding changes to industrial relations laws in Australia over the last couple of years and it has hit the news again recently.
UPDATE: A few years ago when my rector went on holidays, he told the catechists to get the sign into
SMH's front-page interest section called 'Column 8' (it appears on the far right of the print version of the SMH front page (or used to - it's now on the back page) and has done so for many years). He did so with the first sign mentioned above ('bloody'). A few weeks ago when Tim again went on holidays, he repeated the instruction to me. And it seems I also
succeeded. Thanks to the Wednesday Bible study group at the café, who helped work on the idea.
If you don't get it or you're not from Sydney, then the relevant background is that there has been something of a scandal in the headlines here recently when the State government announced a new fine of over $5,000 for annoying a pilgrim at World Youth Day (which is to be held here in Sydney soon).
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