Radio is sounding post for call to church

The Bishop of Lichfield, the Rt Rev Jonathan Gledhill, has taken to the airwaves to to start a week-long innovative advertising campaign in which he will ask listeners to come back to church.

When radio advertisements were first used two years ago it was believed to be the first time a Church of England bishop had appeared in such ads for evangelism.

The campaign is timed to coincide with Back to Church Sunday on September 27 when churchgoers pray for an individual over a period of time and issue a personal invitation to them to come back to church.

The ad, which can be heard on Beacon Radio in the Black Country and Shropshire and Signal Radio in north Staffordshire, features Brighton-based Christian singer Louise Fellingham singing the worship song In Christ Alone.

On top of this the Bishop says: "This Sunday is Back to Church Sunday when thousands of people are expected to come back to church. Why not Join them? Many people say they would come back to church if somebody invited them. Well, I'm the Bishop of Lichfield and I'm inviting you."

The Diocese of Lichfield first became involved in Back to Church Sunday in 2007, when 6,000 people came back to church. Six months later between 700 and 900 (12 to 15 per cent) had become regular members of their congregations and a further 3,000 were still in regular touch with their churches some six months later. The impact of Back to Church Sunday is not just measured in statistics; it is measured by the wonderful impact it has had on numerous individual lives."

And he said: "The advertising campaign is the icing on the cake, but the real success of Back to Church Sunday will be personal invitations. But if people don't receive a personal invitation they should treat the adverts as their personal invitation from me to come back to church," said the Bishop.