Imagine all the people…who are lonely…who are struggling…who feel excluded…who have never heard of a church like ours… During Lent 2011, United Church of Christ congregations in Missouri and Illinois imagined extending an extravagant invitation. They worked together on an “All the People” evangelism initiative. A grass-roots group started with just $4,100 in seed money from the Strengthen the Church offering and raised a total of $32,096 to support the ad campaign, a “Stillspeaking” evangelism regional training event, and the next initiative. During the campaign, the UCC’s 30-second “Steeple” (or “All the People”) television ad aired 654 times on network and cable TV during March and April, reaching more than 1.3 million households! Responses from local congregations in Missouri and Illinois were enthusiastic:

• “We had 26 first-time worshippers!” • “It was absolutely fantastic to be part of a grass-roots campaign with

visible results.” • “Being a part of the ‘All the People’ project made a spiritual difference

in my life. I became much more intentional about invitation.” • “Easter attendance was the highest in more than a decade.” • “We were blessed by visitors and our membership was energized

again. THANK YOU...” Thank YOU for extending a “Stillspeaking” extravagant welcome with your generous gifts to Strengthen the Church!