A pastor from Tennessee is going around spreading the message that "Christmas is all about Jesus," and is aiming to distribute 17,000 yard signs across all the 95 counties of the state.
Pastor Jimmy Terry of Tabernacle Baptist Church at Clarksville seeks to raise awareness among the people that the mainstream cultural approach to Christmas is highly commercialized.
He has the mission of making December a season about Jesus, and not about a commercial holiday period. The pastor said he believes that his initiative will help change the present landscape of hedonism around Christmas to a one which is really about God, not just in Tennessee but in the entire nation.
"This year we are asking Christians throughout the state of Tennessee to help us spread our message across the state," he told The Leaf-Chronicle. "Next year, we're hoping that this movement in Tennessee can influence the rest of the nation. We are praying for such an impact this year that we can start to influence others around the country."
The pastor expressed concern that church attendance was low in US and that church does not have the center place in the lives of many traditional Christians.
"I attribute the decline to our church leaders, and I am one of them," Terry told the Leaf-Chronicle. "As Christians, we must lift up the name of Jesus, we cannot be timid. We can't be bothered with political correctness. We can't be afraid. We must be bold when we talk about Jesus."
Terry said that Christians should come out in as many ways as possible to tell the story of Jesus, even more so in the month of December.
Churches in Clarksville have also joined in the effort to get the signs displayed in different parts of the state. The signs can be picked up for free at the Tabernacle Baptist Church, but donations are accepted to help in cost-sharing.
