That was the theme of an email sent to thousands of UCC members and churches on July 10, announcing a plan to bring the heartwarming "Steeples" ad to network TV in September, but only to the extent that churchwide fundraising allows.

"The United Church of Christ has been through some media challenges in the last few months," acknowledged the Rev. John H. Thomas, general minister and president, and the Rev. Felix Carrion, Stillspeaking coordinator, in the email message. "… Now it's our turn to speak, to tell the story of the United Church of Christ and be the welcome that Jesus calls us to be."

The pay-as-you-go plan calls for every dollar donated to be used to buy air time on prominent cable TV networks.

"We've been through some pretty intense controversies during the past few months which have posed some challenges for us and for our identity," Carrion told United Church News. "This is a way for us to take charge of our message."

Unlike past ad buys, the UCC's national setting is not in a position to draw sizeable amounts from its cash reserves to cover the bulk of the cost. So, this time around, the scope and size of the ad buy will depend wholly on contributions gathered from across the denomination.

The UCC's advertising agency, Gotham, Inc., will tailor the UCC's ad buy to the amount raised. In short, a $100,000 fundraising response will net a $100,000 ad buy, while a million-dollar response will produce a million-dollar campaign.

The Stillspeaking Ministry announced a goal of at least $350,000, in order to purchase an appreciable number of ad spots.

"We keep hearing from local churches that the TV advertising was very helpful to their outreach efforts," Carrion said. "They help our people feel good about the UCC, to identify with the UCC and to tell the story of the UCC to their friends and neighbors."

The 30-second "Steeples" ad begins with a young girl reciting the children's poem, "Here's the church, here's the steeple," with hand motions. At "open the door and see all the people," the camera segues across a diverse group of people who echo the refrain, "all the people."

 "Steeples," beloved by many UCC members, has received little national air time. It ran for only four days in December 2004, but was replaced by the edgier "Bouncer" ad, which ran more extensively in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, the humorous, but equally edgy "Ejector" ad debuted on more than 20 networks.

Both "Bouncer" and "Ejector" were banned by the major broadcast networks (such as CBS and NBC), as well as the network-owned cable channels. However, "Steeples" was deemed acceptable.

Gwen Thomas, Stillspeaking's assistant coordinator, believes that the moment has arrived for "Steeples."

"It's an ad that never got its due," she said. "In the wave of the 'Bouncer' controversy, it never took center stage -- and understandable so. But it's the right ad for us, at this moment, because it demonstrates that we are both-and, not either-or. We are both pastoral and prophetic."

Thomas, who leads Stillspeaking's merchandising efforts, said "Steeples" resonates strongly with UCC members.

"For years now, churches have been running this ad locally, but it has never gotten the national exposure that many of our people would have preferred," she said. "Several years ago, we needed to define ourselves to the wider world in ways that would distinguish us. Now that more people understand us -- or think they do -- it's important that we broaden that representation beyond the limited and often distorted portrayals we've witnessed in recent months."

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