SIGNS

And the sign said “Everybody welcome. Come in kneel down and pray.” But when they

passed around the plate at the end of it all, I didn’t have a penny to pay. So, I got me a

pen and a paper, and I made up my own little sign. I said, “Thank You Lord for thinkin’

bout me. I’m alive and doin fine!”

These lyrics from the song Signs, by Five Man Electrical Band from 1970 come to mind

when I look at the CHRIST THE KING Lutheran Church ELCA sign out in front of our church on Washington Avenue.

It receives several million views from motorists passing by every year according to the latest Wisconsin DOT traffic count. They may be feeling lonely, depressed, or just down from the news of the day on the radio. Through this sign, we give them a little “Good News” of great joy as they drive by. This is a Lutheran way of Gospel street preaching!

Unfortunately, as you can see from this recent photo, our sign is showing its age, as well as being dated with its sliding letter technology. It has been cleaned, the letters painted, and the lights have been repaired, but there is no longer anything else that can be done to improve it, other than updating the technology used in the portion of the sign with the sliding letters. By removing this section of the existing sign and replacing it with a two-sided full color digital display, we can move our “street preaching” into the twenty first century! The “Good News” on the sign will be in full color, easier to read, as well as being less time consuming to update the message.

The latest cost estimate to upgrade to this technology is $35,000. So far through 2025 we have raised $23,487.95 for our “It’s A Sign From God” campaign through many Thrivent Action Team fund raisers, Thrivent Choice Dollar donations, as well as many personal donations leaving $11,512.05 needed to complete the project. Please help make it a more positive “sign of the times” by making your donation today!