Hobby Lobby Sends the Right Message
By Chuck Manson | Editor and publisher of Everyday Christian
Posted 11:34 am on April 16, 2009
Ever wish you had the courage to take a stand for your faith? No, not the amount of courage it takes to talk about your faith to a church group or family or friends. I’m talking about the amount of courage it takes to stand up for what you believe in before the whole world and not being afraid of what it might cost you on this side of heaven.
Hobby Lobby is one of those “fearless” organizations. This past Sunday, the Oklahoma City-based retailer took out full-page ads in each of the local newspapers where it regularly advertises its sales and merchandise. The message on Easter Sunday was the Gospel.
The full-page ad included a letter that read:
Son,
I need you to Build a Bridge; here are all the tools you will need. See you soon—
Love,
Dad
The tools shown are a hammer and three nails—everything that was needed for Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.
The ad then quotes 1 Peter 3:18 from The Message:
“That’s what Christ did definitively; suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all, was put to death and then made alive to bring us to God.”
The ad concludes by extending an invitation to those who would like to know Jesus as Savior and Lord to call 1-888-NEED-HIM, the Need Him Ministry.
Hobby Lobby is one of a handful of national businesses that closes its doors each and every Sunday. It is up front about its commitment to honor God in everything it does—from the board room to the floors of the more than 400 stores it operates in 33 states.
This was the 13th year that Hobby Lobby has shared the Gospel in a newspaper campaign. It also runs full-page ads focused on Christ each Christmas Day. Last year, this message was shared in nearly 300 newspapers reaching 47 million people.
Closing your doors on Sundays can definitely cost you sales. So, too, can being vocal about your faith. Given this statement on the company’s Web site—“We believe that it is by God’s grace and provision that Hobby Lobby has endured. He has been faithful in the past, we trust Him for our future”—I imagine that Hobby Lobby isn’t focused on most of the things that conventional business wisdom says is important.
Tags: advertising, Christmas, Easter, Hobby Lobby
I grew up in Northern Alabama and followed a career in journalism and then business. The launch of Everyday Christian allows me to put together all of the things I love--Jesus, technology, writing, business and encouraging others.
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