Accounting News

Amy Iggulden

An image of Jesus is to appear in pint glasses in commercials this Christmas as part of a campaign to encourage young people back to the Church.

A poster will show his face emerging from the froth on the sides of an empty glass alongside the words “Where will you find him?”.

It is part of an advertising campaign that aims to provoke debate and boost numbers at a time when church attendance is in serious decline.

The Churches’ Advertising Network (CAN), an inter-denominational group of Christians which has previously depicted Jesus as a baby Santa Claus and the revolutionary, Che Guevara, said the new advert highlights the global trend for seeing religious figures in everyday objects.

This has included reports that Jesus has appeared in a frying pan and on a fish finger; that the face of the Virgin Mary was seen on a toasted cheese sandwich; and that Mother Teresa’s likeness appeared in a cinnamon bun.

Francis Goodwin, the chairman of CAN, said he hoped the “Jesus in your pint” poster campaign would prompt a debate about God, alongside a series of radio adverts in which young people talk about their spiritual beliefs. It will use the social networking site Myspace to encourage discussion.

He said: “The message is subtle but simple - where is God in all the boozing at Christmas?

“For many, Christmas is just drinking and partying and God is excluded, yet many young people are interested in finding deeper meaning and exploring faith.

“We hope the link to Myspace will offer another venue for them to discuss their feelings and debate the issues.”

The CAN has previously been attacked by traditionalists for its radical approach to publicity.

In 1999, the then Bishop of Wakefield, the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch condemned as “disgraceful” a CAN poster that showed the Last Supper as a boardroom meeting of multi-national companies. Judas was representing Microsoft.

But the Christian group has since sparked a trend for lively publicity campaigns.

Truro Cathedral recently moved its Sunday evensong service to make way for an evening of worship led by an Elvis impersonator, in a bid to boost numbers. More than 900 people took part.

The Catholic church also ran a recruitment campaign for priests last year, in which the statement “Get collared for the challenge of a lifetime” was printed on beer mats.

Shrinking congregations are a persistent worry for British churches, with fewer than one million adults attending Church of England services every week in 2004, the last year for which figures are available.