I read with interest (June NZ Baptist) the article on “Signwriting for God.”

I lived in the United States with my husband for a few years, from 1998 to 2004, and enjoyed their billboards, GodSpeaks. (See godspeaks.com/intro.asp.) I have a Bible that I bought for my husband (with billboard photos scattered throughout the pages) while we were over there and it tells how their billboard history started:

“An anonymous private donor asked, ‘What if people on the streets of America were reminded of God and the importance he plays and wants to play in our world and personal lives?’

“The media plan called for designing a series of billboards with 17 ‘God Sayings’ to be rolled out throughout the Miami/Ft Lauderdale area (the donor’s home area).

“Unexpectedly the scope of the campaign soon reached national exposure ... It wasn’t long before all of the national media networks were competing against each other to get the best slice of the campaign’s story. TV networks and newspapers made the story a major focus of their reports. Overnight the campaign had reached the homes and hearts of people around the world.

“Early in the campaign, a new and exciting opportunity arose. The Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) offered the representatives of the project the chance to present the GodSpeaks sayings on billboards across the United States as their yearlong “good will” campaign. This amazing development confirmed that God’s hand was at work, opening new doors of opportunity.

“In only a year, more than 10,000 billboards were put up in over 200 cities and communities across the nation. Since then, more billboards have been displayed internationally in countries such as England, South Africa and Australia.”

I have only quoted a small part of the GodSpeaks Story.

I think it is great that we are now having them in New Zealand. They are a wonderful outreach and even unbelievers get the message and the humour.

– Lyn Cameron
Dargaville