Church Shares Christmas Messages on New York Billboards, Taxis, Buses

This Christmas season, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sharing messages celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ in New York City and through web-based materials. The ads began appearing in the New York metropolitan area and online the day after Thanksgiving and will continue through New Year’s Day. 

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Greg Droubay, director of Mormon.org, said the Church hopes this effort will help to spread the message of hope and peace that Jesus taught and to help all people feel His love during the Christmas season. 

“At a time when there’s so much commotion and so many messages, we want to invite people to take a few moments to stop and reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ and what it means to all of God’s children,” Droubay said. "It's a simple but important reminder of what the Christmas season is all about."

The messages were created to remind people of the true meaning of Christmas, and include the text: “Christmas is family,” “Christmas is love,” “Christmas is worship,” “Christmas is service” and “Christmas is Jesus Christ.” 

The messages will direct viewers to Mormon.org, where they can learn more about the Savior and His birth, as well as share their thoughts. Visitors can also download free music from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and request a free copy of the Bible.

• See video interview of Mormon.org director and b-roll of Christmas billboard in New York City

The messages will appear on billboards, taxi toppers, taxi television screens, site-seeing buses and CNN Airport TV in the New York City area. Banner advertising will also be included on several Internet sites.

Droubay said that although both the new Christmas media effort and the “I’m a Mormon” messages direct viewers to Mormon.org, their goals are different.

“We’re very pleased with our first effort in New York City,” Droubay said. “But our purpose this time is very different: it’s to come and focus on Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ, with the intent to invite people to reflect on what Christmas means to them.”

New York City was chosen as the focus of the project because of its broad media reach: millions of residents and international visitors will see the Christmas messages there. 

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a global church, and one of the things that’s appealing to us about New York is that it provides an opportunity to reach a global audience,” Droubay said.

Though the location was chosen before Hurricane Sandy, the Church also hopes the effort will help uplift some who may be looking for hope and peace as they face difficulties recovering from the storm damage.

“We would hope, in this difficult world, this busy world, that people will find it a welcome opportunity to reflect a little bit on service, on family, to help those around that might be in need,” Droubay said.

The Church uses all types of media, including video, audio, websites and advertising, to share messages and invite others to learn more about Jesus Christ, and Droubay said these messages are part of that effort.

“We hope through our effort in New York City and on the Internet that we are able to reach tens of millions of people in this country and throughout the world and provide an opportunity for them to reflect on His birth,” he said.

Church leaders teach that worshipping Christ will bring greater understanding of His divine sacrifice, especially as we celebrate Christmas.

Church President Thomas S. Monson has taught: “As we strive to become more like Him, we will have joy and happiness in our lives and peace each day of the year. It is His example which, if followed, stirs within us more kindness and love, more respect and concern for others.”

Mormon.org Christmas Initiative Videos

(Download this video)

(Download this video)

This Nativity video is part of the Mormon.org online Christmas initiative