Ways Your Church Can Share Faith & Friends

Faith & Friends can be used to present your faith in a non-intrusive way to people in your community. Churches across Canada are distributing Faith & Friends magazine in different ways. Here are some ideas for how you can reach more people and impact more lives.

• Give Faith & Friends away at Christmas dinners, in sunshine bags and in Christmas hampers. Give it away at the Christmas kettles and when your band performs. Go door-to-door in your community with copies.

“My wife and I do the door-to-door blitz ourselves. People are already asking when we are going to do our Christmas blitz. We learned this in training college as cadets. Without a doubt the magazine gets us into the houses we would otherwise not get into. ‘This is our thank you free of charge from us to you for your support.’ That’s how we portray the magazine. Sometimes it is an open door to communication. People ask what the magazine is about and that helps us talk about people sharing their faith and what God has done for others.” - Morgan Hillier, Robert’s Arm, Newfoundland

• Take Faith & Friends to community events, bazaars and fairs.

“We had a one-stop-shop with different community organizations and there was registration for hockey or skating and we took some of our publications. When people saw Faith & Friends they took it because they recognized who was on the cover. Hopefully they got the message as well.” - Florence Borgela, Bathurst Community Church, Bathurst, New Brunswick

• Use the special summer evangelism issue of Faith & Friends to reach a broader audience. Copies of this special edition of the magazine are free with you required to pay shipping charges.

Have Faith & Friends inserted into your local newspaper. Michael Simpson of Georgetown Community Church had the summer evangelism issue of Faith & Friends inserted into the Georgetown Independent Free Press and reached its circulation of 1,500-plus people.

• Use Faith & Friends at park services, picnics and BBQs.

“We use the summer issue for our park services at the end of June, July and August. We give the magazine out every day of that. . . It knows its audience. It’s not too churchy. It’s not full of Salvation Army buzz words. It talks to people where they are at. A lot of our family services clients like Faith & Friends because it is readable-you don’t need to have a university degree to enjoy it.” - Geoff Groves, Georgina Community Church, Jackson’s Point, Ontario

• Take Faith & Friends on nursing home and hospital visits. With permission, place copies in public waiting areas of medical, government and business buildings. Give copies to libraries.

• Hold a literature Sunday in the corps. Start a pub or prison ministry using Faith & Friends as a tool to spark conversations and open doors to witness.

• Have corps cadets (or other youth groups) establish a Faith & Friends route in the community.

Tell us your ideas and we’ll add them to this list. We’d love to hear about the ways your corps shares Faith & Friends.

E-mail Carol Lowes, marketing representative, at carol_lowes@can.salvationarmy.org

Faith & Friends Now Available At NRO Thrift Stores

Drop by your local thrift store to find the latest edition of Faith & Friends. NRO (National Recycling Operations) thrift stores in partnership with the editorial department are offering complimentary copies of Faith & Friends to their customers. Most stores distribute 100 copies per month.

Between October 3 and 9, 2007 the editorial department conducted a telephone survey of 95 NRO thrift stores across Canada with the exclusion of Quebec. We wanted to find out what store managers and staff had to say about Faith & Friends. Here is some of the feedback we gathered from them.

“The stories about people who are Christian (are what I like about the magazine). They are people who you wouldn’t expect to be in there. You had a bull rider. You have people from different areas of society who people can see that they have faith and are God-fearing people. We have good feedback on that magazine. . . We discuss the stories in it. What’s nice is that it’s not just a Salvation Army magazine because it appeals to everyone. We have people of different denominations come through here and the magazine appeals to everyone.” - Smokey Lake Thrift Store, Smokey Lake, Alberta

“(I like most) that it’s Christian. It is like Chicken Soup for the Soul. A couple of issues have made me cry.” - Leduc Thrift Store, Leduc, Alberta

“It is nice to witness and see what God is doing in people’s lives. The magazines have nice, every-day stories.” - Hamlyn Road Thrift Store, St. John’s, Newfoundland

“It informs customers of what our mission is and how we help people.” - Richmond Road Thrift Store, Ottawa, Ontario

“The stories are inspirational. People come in and ask for the magazine. Kids love the small format. Messages from the Bible are good.” - St. Clair West Thrift Store, Toronto, Ontario

“There is a lot of good stuff in it that gives us a better idea of what The Salvation Army does. It’s a good tool for us to use to market The Salvation Army so our customers understand we are not here just buying and selling things. Customers know that what they do goes to a good cause.” - Montreal Road Thrift Store, Ottawa, Ontario

“I like that it is sharing our faith with the broader public. It lets them know that we are here to glorify Christ. I like how they have people on the front cover who give their testimonies.” - Cambridge Thrift Store, Cambridge, Ontario

“It gives everyone the opportunity to see what The Salvation Army is all about.” -
Highland Kitchener Thrift Store, Kitchener, Ontario

“The variety of stories in it is what I like. There are some really good stories. The last one had CSI (TV show) in it and everyone was taking one. Some people got copies for their friends.” - Cedar Hill Thrift Store, Victoria, BC

“I have mentioned what I’ve read (to customers) and tell them there’s a nice story in Faith & Friends. There was a story about an alcoholic man who now works for The Salvation Army. Most people are taking the magazines.” - Sackville Thrift Store, Sackville, New Brunswick

“People are coming in and looking for it now. The stories are short enough to keep your interest. They have actors and people we recognize.” - Dieppe Thrift Store, Dieppe, New Brunswick

“People want it every time they come in.” - Beacon Hill Thrift Store, Ottawa, Ontario

“We get a lot of comments from customers who really enjoy them. There are people who give them to people who can’t get out (shut ins).” - Conception Bay Thrift Store, Manuels, Newfoundland

“Customers are already familiar with the magazine. Customers look for them. They know the magazine changes every month.” - Richmond Road Thrift Store, Ottawa, Ontario

“Customers seem to really enjoy it. When we put it out on the rack they are gone before the end of the month. The cover is always someone who is recognized.” - Empress Thrift Store, Winnipeg, Manitoba

“I’ve had comments from some customers who take some and they say how nice they are. One customer takes some and distributes them to other places.” - McQueen Thrift Store, Edmonton, Alberta

“No complaints. I’ve never heard anything bad about it (the magazine). In fact, people will take an old and a new copy if we have them.” - Port Coquitlam Thrift Store, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia

To maximize your impact as a thrift store:

• Read and be familiar with the stories each month
• Be proactive and place copies in shopping bags
• Don’t force anyone to take a copy
• Give a copy and a thank you to donors when possible
• Give away each issue as early in a month as possible

E-mail Carol Lowes, marketing representative, at Carol_Lowes@can.salvationarmy.org for more information.