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Prepare the way with posters

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PREPARE THE WAY WITH POSTERS
By Yvonne Coppock
Gazelle Books. 160 pages. £8.99 (includes photocopying permission)
ISBN 1 899746 18 8

Intended as a working manual for those who wish to use posters as a means of witnessing to the church passerby, this is the sort of book which you would be tempted to flick through first to look at the coloured illustrations. We live in a world ruled by the visual, where we are daily bombarded by images and where children struggle to concentrate without something visual to focus on. The author proposes that the church should seize this opportunity for evangelism, and sets about making her case.

Yvonne Coppock runs workshops for church groups who would like to develop skills and enthusiasm in poster-making, and Prepare The Way With Posters reads as I can imagine her working notes for a session would. I appreciated her style of writing; it is encouraging and persuasive as well as sensitive to those who feel ill-equipped or who might feel such a ministry borders on the inappropriate. She is earnest in her commitment, and both experienced and wise - 'The aim is not to show people how clever we are, but to point them towards God'.

The book is divided into two parts: the 'Why?' section accounts for about one-fifth, persuading the reader of the validity of this ministry. The author provokes thought by reminding us that the Creator God makes us in his image - therefore to be creative people - and that somewhere between childhood and maturity we lose the inhibition that allows us to experiment so freely with the creative arts. She believes passionately that 'availability is more important to God than ability' and encourages teamwork as a means of germinating and developing fruitful ideas. Her Bible references - such as the parable of the talents - are helpful in keeping the focus, supporting her arguments effectively. She advocates leaning heavily on regular Bible reading and a habit of prayer for inspiration in such work.

By far the main content of the book is the 'How?' part, a little like a beginner's evening class in artistic techniques. This area seemed a little over-egged, with a large proportion of very basic tips - for example, how to mix two paint colours together. There is even a page covering the avoidance of the dreaded 'grocer's apostrophe'! The main content of the book is essentially aimed at the artistically challenged, yet it remains to be seen whether those without any artistic inclination would be interested enough to buy their own copy. It seems, then, to be a useful manual to be shared between church groups, and informative (perhaps at times bordering on the patronising) for the inexperienced beginner.

One final thought - don't be tempted to flick through the illustrations to begin with, they'll only disappoint. Read Yvonne Coppock's enthusiastic arguments and allow yourself to be inspired and imaginative.

Julie Skelton