Tuesday, October 27, 2009

"Leveraging the Flu Pandemic" or "Flu Servant Evangelism"

This just in from a certain District Office of the LCMS (really, no kidding)


Leveraging the Flu Pandemic... Getting the Word Out

Greetings! I am passing along this idea for consideration by your school to get the word out about your school and show a love concern for people. I believe this is a product people would use and remember! This is an idea passed along by [name deleted] of the [name deleted] District. This can be part of marketing/outreach!

Flu Servant Evangelism
We know that a small act of kindness might nudge a person closer to God, often in a profound way as it builds a bridge for the person to receive a touch of love from God. Why not confront the current influenza outbreak by offering people of your community a touch of God's love in a very practical way?

The [name deleted] District (read that, "[name deleted]") is encouraging our congregations and schools to "leverage" the current flu outbreak by involving themselves in a servant evangelism idea using the free distribution of bottles of hand sanitizer to local businesses.

We have designed labels for congregations and schools to download off of our website and to affix to one dollar bottles of hand sanitizer (Dollar Store, Dollar Tree, etc) to be distributed to the local business in their area...and in so doing, to maybe touch someone with the love of Christ.

Schools and congregations can design their own labels, or "stock" PDF copies of the labels, designed for either a congregation or for a school, are available for download on our website at http://lcmsed.org/a/whatsNew.php. These labels are sized to fit Avery shipping labels, #5264.

“Small Things Done with Great Love Will Change the World” as we live the Jesus-style life of noticing and responding to those around us with kindness, love and generosity.


10 comments:

Ariel said...

Urgh...this is shameful AND awkward. I've seen corporate memos with more grace and tact than this.

gnesio-lutheran said...

The PDF labels even carry the biblical injunction "Cleanliness is next to Godliness"

How special!

Dan @ Necessary Roughness said...

gnesio, you should have finished that for full effect:

"'Cleanliness is next to Godliness' and Godliness is what we are all about"

Does this deserve a "sacre blue" or "Mon Dieu!", Father Hollywood?

Christian Soul said...

Is this the same hand sanitizer POTS uses to wash his hands of the evil taking place under his supervision?

Rev. Thomas C. Messer, SSP said...

Stealing a phrase from Todd Wilken, I'm overwhelmed with a lack of surprise.

+ Robert Wurst said...

You shouldn't delete the name of these brilliant and compassionate burrocrats or of their sponsoring District.

Everyone should know the depth of the LCMS missional mindset.

gnesio-lutheran said...

Dan said:
gnesio, you should have finished that for full effect:

"'Cleanliness is next to Godliness' and Godliness is what we are all about"

How could I hve missed that?

Apparently synod is not weak on sanctification after all, even if dispensed via a bottle of hand sanitizer....

Scott Diekmann said...

There's already a term for this, and it's not "Flu Servant Evangelism," it's "social gospel."

Rev. Larry Beane said...

Dear Scott:

Or "Schadenfreude."

Think of the "outreach opportunities" for "leveraging" the "pandemic" our Lutheran ancestors had during the black plague.

Sick people = chance for marketing.

Goody goody gumdrops!

Scott Diekmann said...

Schadenfreude is good too. It goes well with my German heritage.