On one of my first appointments in this work I found myself in a strange district with churches that had no identification whatsoever. I shall never forget the feeling that came over me when I went about looking for the Seventh-day Adventist churches in that district.
Needless to say, I at once sensed the need for some identification. For how could people be expected to hear and learn of this message if two thirds of the people of a town of any size were not even aware of the fact that a meeting was being held in the building, which relatively few knew was an Adventist church.
I do not believe that I need to emphasize the fact among our more experienced ministering brethren that it pays to advertise, if it is done wisely and decently. Personally, I feel that gaudy advertising is out of order in this work. Yet I feel we should seek new and attractive ways of catching people's interest. Otherwise we shall not succeed in getting the attention of the public.
The bulletin board you see pictured here is not very difficult to construct. In my work I found myself handicapped with a bulletin board that needed relettering each evening for the next service. Therefore I sought another way of approaching the problem. The lettering on this 5-by-8-foot board is all permanent, with the exception of the dates and the subject matter. These consist of letters painted on metal squares about 4 by 6 inches in size for the subject announcement, and about 2 1/2 inch squares for the dates. I found some small plastic channels, generally used as household trimmings, which I used for the channels in which to place the lettering. In all it takes about four alphabets so as to have four each of the letters in order to place an ordinary subject on the board. It would be well to have six of the vowels to enable one to work more easily.
This board is illuminated by two forty-watt fluorescent lamps concealed behind the trimming of the board. Placing one lamp at the top and one on the bottom, using daylight bulbs, illuminates the board in a rather attractive way.
Perhaps I should say a word about the lumber and paint used. I had this board painted white with light blue trimmings. The lettering consisted of various colors of black, white, and blue, plus an occasional red touch. The lumber used is plywood and I-by-4-inch trimming, with I-by-12-inch ends, and two 2-by-4-inch braces in the rear, running to the ground.
In the cause of economy I plan to use this board a number of times. If it should become weatherbeaten, I plan to repaint it and continue its use. Consequently, the cost will be cut to a fraction.
