The Still Speaking Initiative builds on the UCC's distinctive identity as a progressive Christian denomination, even among its more conservative sectors. The "God is still speaking" slogan is a modern version of the farewell by Pilgrim pastor, John Robinson, to his congregation of dissidents who set sail on the Mayflower for the New World. "Do not cling to where Calvin and Luther left us," he said. "God hath yet more light and truth to break forth from God's Holy Word." (The Pilgrims are one of the forebear streams of the United Church of Christ. As a blend of four distinct Christian traditions—Congregational, Christian, Evangelical and Reformed—the UCC includes some of the country's oldest congregations and structures.)

Hopefully, the "God is still speaking" slogan and the Robinson quote will help people understand how deeply rooted is the UCC's characteristic of embodying daring and resistance in the struggle for justice and peace," says Bernice Powell Jackson, Executive Minister for Justice and Witness Ministries. Many firsts by UCC forebears were highly controversial in their time and laid the foundation for many of today's freedoms. Some remain controversial to this day. UCC forebears launched the first attempt at congregational democracy (1630), led the movement to abolish slavery (1700), led the spiritual revival known as the Great Awakening (1730), staged the nation's first act of civil disobedience that inspired the "Boston Tea Party" (1773), hid the Liberty Bell when the British occupied Philadelphia (1777), was the first mainline denomination to ordain an African-American pastor (1785), formed the nation's first foreign missionary society (1810), came to the aid of the illegally-enslaved Amistad captives (1839), an event that led to the U.S. Supreme Court's first civil rights ruling, was the first church to ordain a woman (1853), was first to ordain an openly gay man (1972), and coined the term environmental justice (1987.) (For more background, visit http://www.stillspeaking.com/firsts.htm)

Beginning March 1 and continuing through Easter Sunday, April 11, the UCC's "Still Speaking Initiative" will be unveiled in six U.S. initial markets, where the church has purchased a high saturation level of television advertising: Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York, Pa.; Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville, N.C.; Oklahoma City; Springfield-Holyoke, Mass.; Tampa-St. Petersburg-Sarasota, Fla.; and Cleveland-Akron-Canton, Ohio. Pending positive outcomes from this test and financial support of its members and friends, the campaign's rollout on national television is scheduled for later this year.

"This is an opportunity for the United Church of Christ to renew its distinctive voice as a people of welcome, justice and passion for the Gospel," says Thomas. "The Still Speaking Initiative will help us fall in love again with the United Church of Christ, be generous in financial support, and turn our hearts toward a world that needs to experience the presence, embrace, and encouragement of Jesus."

The UCC's current name-recognition is "negligible at best," says Ted Pulton, a managing partner with Gotham, Inc., a major New York advertising firm that has offered its services to the UCC at cost. Focus group testing revealed that only a small handful of participants said they knew something about the denomination and as its turns out, he says, respondents really were mistakenly referring to the Church of Christ, not the UCC. Random testing also uncovered strong negative feelings about churches in general, regardless of denomination. A large percentage of respondents said they held churches to be responsible for past hurts in their lives, and many traced their feelings of inadequacy to negative church experiences. Too many congregations, they said, left them feeling unwelcome, financially inadequate, and inappropriately dressed.

The debut 30-second commercial features two muscle-bound "bouncers" who stand guard outside a fabled, picturesque church where they discriminately choose which persons will be permitted to attend Sunday services. Written text interrupts the scene, announcing, "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we." A narrator then touts the UCC's commitment to Jesus' radical embrace: "No matter who you are, no matter where you are on life's journey, you are welcome at a United Church of Christ congregation."

The UCC plans to invest an increasing amount of resources into advertising during the next four years. In so doing, it is following in the footsteps of other denominations that have increasingly relied on the airwaves to increase exposure, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints, the United Methodist Church, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

You may view the commercial by visiting www.ucc.org. Media persons needing VHS copies of the commercial should contact Sally Sandorf at 216-736-2212 or via email at sandorfs@ucc.org.