| BWC ads to air during Ravens games Erik Alsgaard UMConnection Staff The Baltimore Ravens football team is marching down the field, ready to score another touchdown. The quarterback calls a time-out and the TV goes to a commercial break. Time to advertise a car? Some computer equipment, perhaps? Maybe a beer? How about the Baltimore-Washington Conference of The United Methodist Church? On Dec. 21 and 28, viewers of Ravens football will witness a first in United Methodist communications in the conference: Igniting Ministry spots, sponsored by the Baltimore-Washington Conference, that will air during the games and post-game shows. We adopted this strategy for many reasons, said John Coleman Jr., co-director of communications for the conference and manager of the conferences Igniting Ministry campaign. We felt that Ravens football games were an ideal venue to reach a segment of our target audience. The ads, purchased in partnership with United Methodist Communi-cations in Nashville, Tenn., were placed at the end of the year to reach unchurched people who are more likely to be thinking about attending church at Christmas and New Years, said Coleman. Plus, the number of young adult men who watch Ravens football is incredible, especially in the African American community, he said. With these ads, well reach hundreds of thousands of viewers with a welcoming invitation from The United Methodist Church. Igniting Ministry, the national campaign to raise awareness and welcoming in United Methodist congregations, was approved by the 2000 General Conference. Part of its program is to award matching grants to congregations and conferences for local or regional usage. Total cost of the ads is $20,800, Coleman said. Half of the money comes from a matching grant from Igniting Ministry. The other half comes from the Communications budget, supported directly by apportionments. WJZ-TV, channel 13 in Baltimore, the station that airs the Ravens, is a CBS affiliate. Salesman Bill Ahlfield approached the conference last year about the possibility of advertising on Ravens games after seeing the national Igniting Ministry campaign. Ahlfield presented a proposal to the conference Communications Commission last winter. Negotiations continued over the summer, said Coleman, and the buy was finalized in November. The original strategy, which had called for advertising in four to six games, was pared down to two to save the conference money, said Coleman. One other conference Kansas East has aired spots on NFL game telecasts, according to Jackie Vaughan, Igniting Ministry Matching Grants Administrator. Those ads, run during Kansas City Chiefs games, were widely seen. Were excited about using the Ravens telecast to spread the message of our church, said Coleman. Well be seen and heard by people who might just be looking for a place to worship Christmas or New Years Eve, and hopefully, theyll think of us first. | 
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