This past week, one church decided to use its church marquee sign to promote a conversation. Many people are used to seeing messages regarding Jesus, God, and the bible on church marquee signs. What they may not have expected was the message at Good Samaritan Church: ?If you are white, use your privilege to fight for justice.?

Reverend Jennifer Daysa explained that the church itself had been reading about the way white privilege can present itself in everyday life, whether it?s employment situations or how people are treated when they?re simply shopping in stores.

Commentators are Not All Impressed With the Sign

Not surprisingly — especially at a time when the nation is increasingly divided over issues like this — the sign has gotten a lot of feedback, including to the church?s Facebook page. One responder talking to Fox 13 said that, ?to call white people privileged is racist. Privileged is collecting welfare checks and burning down cities. Reverend Daysa responded to this, saying that ?”In one breath, they are calling us racist, and in the next they have the wide, sweeping stereotypes about other races, and I think that has brought up the real need for having this conversation.?

How long will the sign be up for? Daysa says that the sign?s message is routinely changed, typically once a week, so visitors won?t have too much more time to get a glimpse of this conversation-provoking one.

White Privilege Sign Highlights How Many People in Community Notice Church Signs in General

If nothing else, the response to Good Samaritan Church?s sign has highlighted that people do notice signs — and they do think about them. Outdoor church signs continue to be an important way that churches interact with their local communities, as well as members of the church who want to stay informed about things like when mass is taking place, when special events are happening, etc.

For people who are looking for a new church to join, a sign can often help them decide, as signs for churches often convey important information to potential visitors as to what sort of issues that church likes to discuss, and what is happening week to week. A sign with a bit of humor, for example, might be inviting to people who are coming back to the church after lapsing for many years.