I spent a summer in Sawbridgeworth England as a missions intern in 1993. A new Church had started there a year before I arrived and I was going to help it get going. I ended up spending most of my summer going door to door and sticking flyers into the mail slots on doors. This is completely legal in England. It was my job to hit every house in town and when I finished Sawbridgeworth, I then rode the bus to nearby towns to distribute flyers as well.
What did the advertisements say you ask? Well, one was a sheet of paper that gave all the information about our “Holiday Bible Club.” In the US we call it “Vacation Bible School” and it is an event for kids 6th grade and under. By the way, it ended up being a huge success. We had over 100 different kids come and averaged in the 70’s each night. It was probably the biggest Christian children’s event in the entire United Kingdom that year.
The ad for the Holiday Bible Club was placed inside of an orange little pamphlet that said on the outside; “Ten Reasons I Never Wash.” As you can imagine, many people flipped the brochure open to read:
1. I was made to wash as a child.
2. People who wash are hypocrites they reckon they are cleaner than other people.
3. There are so many different kinds of soap, I could never decide which one was right.
4. I used to wash, but it got boring so I stopped.
5. I still wash on special occasions like Christmas and Easter.
6. None of my friends wash.
7. I’m still young. When I’m older and have got a bit dirtier I might start washing.
8. I really don’t have the time.
9. The bathroom’s never warm enough.
10. People who make soap are only after your money.
Finally, on the back of the brochure it had a little explanation about Church being like washing. It apparently was effective. By the end of the summer we had 40 people attending Church (up from the original 10 people).
Maybe people enjoyed it. Maybe people were offended. Maybe they felt convicted. Maybe it was just British Humor.