A religious advertising campaign is heading for court, writes Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent
Despite the RTÉ, Network 2, TV3, and NTL ban on television advertisements for the Power to Change campaign, viewers in the Republic will still be able to see them. A spokesman said yesterday that the 30-second ads can be seen on UTV, Sky Television, and Channel 4 from Monday next.
In fact the advertisements on these channels are "stronger" than what was originally agreed could be broadcast on RTÉ 1, Network 2, TV3, and NTL before legal advice.
For instance they contain the "God" word and "Jesus Christ", which had been banned from use in the ads which were to be broadcast on the Republic's TV stations.
The TV ads in the Republic were intended to be the centrepiece, in this part of the island, of a four week all-Ireland Power to Change €1.8 million media blitz campaign telling people about the benefits of believing in Jesus. A campaign spokesman yesterday remained "absolutely" confident that the ban in the Republic - implemented under section 65 of the Broadcasting Act 2001 - would be lifted by the High Court on Monday.
The campaign has the support of the leaders of the four main churches on the island, as well as the smaller churches, and just two weeks ago was endorsed by the National Conference of Priests of Ireland at their annual general meeting in Maynooth.
Meanwhile, cinema ads for the campaign will be shown on 450 screens, North and South, over the next month, with approximately 400 billboard posters, ads on 250 Dublin buses as well as in DART carriages. These, and UK TV ads, will feature personalities such as the golfer Bernhard Langer, singer Máire Brennan of Clannad, high jumper Jonathan Edwards, Michael McGoldrick, whose only son Michael was murdered at Drumcree in 1996, Noel Kenny a former drug addict in Dublin, and student Clodagh O'Connor.
All the advertisements will invite people to contact freephone number 1850 55 66 77 or the powertochange.ie website through which a free pack can be had. It contains a booklet which considers "the real questions of life, looks at the person of Jesus Christ, explains how you can have the power to change and contains personal accounts of changed lives" referred to above.
The pack also contains a CD-ROM, dealing with the "hard' questions people have and a full-length film titled Jesus. There will also be a 25 per cent off voucher towards the purchase of a Bible, which can be used in bookshops North and South, including at Veritas, Faith Mission, Scripture Union, DRC and Bible societies throughout Ireland.
A total of 75,000 of these packs will be available from distribution centres in Dublin and Belfast.Around 1,000 churches, parishes and prayer groups will be directly involved in the campaign, with up to 8,000 people attending special seminars to prepare themselves to help in their own communities with explaining and understanding the information sent out. Special Power to Change events are planned around the country over the four weeks, with individual churches, parishes and prayer groups linking into the campaign. These will include public meetings for those seeking further information, Bible study groups, and music events.
As part of preparations for the campaign, the Dublin-based committee commissioned a wide-ranging research study through Irish Marketing Surveys.
The campaign has been developed, funded, and is being run by lay Christians from across the denominations. They include Mr Basil Good, a successful hotelier in Dublin. He is also a member of the Church of Ireland. and chairman of the Republic of Ireland Committee of the campaign.
Also involved is Mr Paddy Monaghan, a Catholic, who is the campaign project manager and runs his own leasing and finance business.
Mr Joe Kelly is director of a computer company and is one of the principal initiators behind the campaign in the Republic. Also on its Republic Committee is Mr Tom MacGuinness, winner of the 2001 Ernst & Young Industry Entrepreneur of the Year. The chairman of the Northern Ireland Committee is Belfast accountant, Mr Michael Fitch.
"Obviously, this is a public-service campaign with a considerable difference," said Mr Good. "It is clear from our own experience - and confirmed by our IMS research - that there is currently a real longing for a better quality of life [and answers to life's problems] across all sections of our community. There are serious concerns out there about what kind of society we're becoming."
"People were looking for change" he claimed "and we ourselves have found from our own experience - as have millions before us - that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the only real starting point to finding answers that work."
The idea for the campaign originated in Canada. In Vancouver during the spring of 1999, 600 churches came together on a number of projects under the banner of Power to Change. Since then over half the churches in seven Canadian provinces have worked together on the programme, with 42,000 people there already trained to share their Christian faith. It had originally been hoped to launch the campaign in Ireland earlier this year, but this was postponed until now because of the abortion referendum and the general election.
In an agreed statement prepared for the planned spring 2002 launch, the Catholic primate, Archbishop Sean Brady, the Church of Ireland primate, Archbishop Robin Eames, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Dr Alastair Dunlop, and the president of the Methodist Church in Ireland, Rev Harold Good, said: "We are happy to endorse Power to Change as a potentially significant North/South initiative for evangelisation and reconciliation at this critical time in our country and in our world.
"Power to Change will facilitate local congregations to share the Good News with all the people of this island, who all matter to God." The campaign will be launched in Dublin on Monday.