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Churches use 'sign' language to reach out

BETHESDA - Several United Methodist churches were featured in a March 25 Washington Post article about the messages on their outdoor signs and billboards.

On the signboard outside North Bethesda UMC, the Rev. Debbie Scott declared, 'Pessimists need a kick in the cant?s.' Another read: 'Prayer is the best wireless connection.'

Sometimes funny, slick, corny, controversial, each such sign has a message for the hundreds of drivers passing by.

'We?re not knocking on doors anymore in this day and age,' Scott said. So North Bethesda displays a little bumper-sticker wisdom on its signs, which 'are probably our number one outreach tool.'

The Rev. Joye Jones at Good Shepherd UMC in Silver Spring is in a prime location to spread the gospel by signs. A recent sign read: 'The family altar would alter many a family.'

Jones changes the signs each week, choosing from hundreds she has stored on her computer.

The Rev. Diana Ley at Marvin Memorial UMC has kept the signs on the busy corner of Route 29 and University, across the street from Montgomery Blair High School, spewing a message since she began serving the church in 1997.

At Fairhaven UMC in Gaithersburg, the Rev. Jong Woo 'J.W.' Park displayed a poignant message: 'Thank God for dirty dishes - at least you have food.'

Sometimes the signs are exactly what a passer-by needs for their soul. On the answering machine, Scott once heard, 'Thanks for putting that up. ? You have no idea how much that spoke to me.'