The Assemblies of God continued its November evangelism campaign in New York City’s Times Square with a message on one JumboTron instead of two after ABC canceled plans to post the denomination’s "God Gives Hope" ad.
Juleen Turnage, spokeswoman for the Pentecostal denomination, said church officials contracted with News Astrovision, which owns the former NBC JumboTron, in August and was approached by ABC the following month to buy a similar ad outside the "Good Morning America" studio.
"Two days before the spots were to start airing, we got the word from ABC that they were pulling the plug on it," she said.
ABC spokeswoman Julie Hoover said the decision reflects a "decades-old" company policy. "We do not accept advertising for religion and that is why we could not accept the advertising."
Turnage said the Assemblies of God ad reads, "Life is never hopeless. God gives hope."
The 15-second ad was scheduled to run on the former NBC JumboTron 480 times over the two-week period between Nov. 13 and 26, including 54 times on Thanksgiving Day when the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade passed by. The church paid a below-market price of $20,000, Turnage said.
In addition to the JumboTron ads, missionaries and students taking part in the evangelism program have been distributing literature in Times Square.
The ads and the literature suggest people contact an 800 number (800-4-PRAYER) and a Web site (www.godgiveshope.org) for more information. (RNS)
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