Busking? Panhandling? Marketing? What would call it…?
The Archbishop of the Anglican church in Toronto, Canada stood outside of the main commuter train station in Toronto on September 23 to hand out cards to passersby inviting them to the church. It is common to see people handing out everything from free shampoo samples to nightclub party announcements to drum up business, but this is the first time that the church has joined the fray. Is this a clever play to get “bums in the pews” or a desperate attempt to generate business for a failing enterprise?
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The sight of Archbishop Colin Johnson dressed in his vestments and mitre and handing out cards outside the station was mistaken as “just another gimmick” by one man, who said that “there are guys here every single day handing out stuff”.
Anglican bishops were also at other GO Train stations (Barrie, Oshawa, Clarkson and Richmond Hill) – the commuter train for Toronto – handing out the cards, which read: “Angry, bored, happy, lonely, tired, stressed — come as you are. The Anglican Church welcomes you back to church”.
The goal is to heighten awareness that the church and religious faith are important, Johnson said, adding people can return to church or attend for the first time, no matter what their faith.
