An article in this weekend’s Waterloo, Iowa, newspaper featured the street sign postings by the Grace Brethren Church and pastor Kelvin Cooke. Here is a short excerpt–to see the entire article click here.
When Shelly Bertelli took walks along Williston Avenue, she kept an eye out for the signs posted weekly at Grace Brethren Church in Waterloo, which often sported a catchy phrase. When it came time for Bertelli and her husband to find a church home, she contacted Grace.
Two years later, the Bertellis have since moved to Independence, but still commute to the church. Bertelli assures that the signs weren’t the reason she and her husband, Troy, and two children are regulars at Grace. But the slogans made a positive first impression and led to that first phone call.
“Something registered,” Bertelli said.
The Rev. Kelvin Cooke of Grace church said an in-house communications team often integrates sermon themes with the outdoor message. This week’s “Got questions? Ask your teen for answers while they still know everything” illustrates a series on parenting.
“Sometimes people just drive by on purpose to see the sign,” Cooke said.
The communications team also consults “Your Church Sign: 1001 Attention-Getting Sayings” by Verlyn Verbrugge. When picking a message, Cooke said it’s important to consider whether an unchurched person will understand the message.
Some pastors think pulling sentences straight from the holy book is the safest route.
Here’s the brief report that appeared in the Des Moines Register:
Catchy church phrases draw drivers’ attention
The drive-by messages in Waterloo range from humdrum to in-your-face and philosophical to just plain funny.
“Where will you be spending eternity? Smoking or nonsmoking?”
Houses of worship have long posted service times and announced sermon titles. Now a Waterloo congregation has found a wider audience for its outdoor bulletin board.
The Rev. Kelvin Cooke of Grace Brethren Church said a church team likes to integrate sermon themes with the outdoor message. This week’s “Got questions? Ask your teen for answers while they still know everything” was an example.
“Sometimes people just drive by on purpose to see the sign,” Cooke said. 
