Major trypraying campaign targets Scotland

Over the last eight years trypraying has run various campaigns on buses and with churches, in and around Edinburgh and throughout the UK, prompting people to try praying, and big plans are underway for a major bus advertising campaign across Scotland.

Designed as a personal faith-sharing resource, a simple whole-church project and a town/city unity movement, trypraying takes the message to those ‘who are not religious and don’t do church.’

In May 2017, an independent market research agency carried out extensive survey to see how much of an impact the campaigns were having. Some 500 people* who live and work in and around Edinburgh were surveyed and the results were inspiring! One of the questions asked was whether people had prayed recently –  of those who didn’t remember seeing the bus adverts only 13% had tried praying recently. However of those who had seen the ads 32% had tried praying recently.

Scaled up for the city’s 500,000 population, this means that 31,640 people tried praying during the four-week campaign. Researcher Jim Law said, “In over 25 years of conducting research  to help evaluate communication and marketing activity, the results of the trypraying campaign in Edinburgh are among the best results I have ever seen for a non TV marketing campaign”.

During the last months of 2018, the trypraying team toured various parts of England and Scotland visiting the likes of Peterborough, Leicester, York, Leeds, Inverness, Glasgow, Aberdeen, West Bromwich, Guildford, Basingstoke, Dundee, Stirling, Perth and Edinburgh. A growing number of churches in these places have already registered their interest in introducing trypraying to their community.  “trypraying.2019” is an initiative is open to all churches and organisations.

Calling Scottish churches

Over the coming months trypraying are busy organising a major bus advertising campaign for across the whole of Scotland. Banners outside churches and adverts on buses really work. They create awareness and influence and indicate the campaign could significantly impact 131,000 people across the nation. To run this campaign, trypraying needs to raise £100,000, but to see buses in your town with the trypraying message on it, may only cost £1.000. 

If there are 10 churches in your town willing to join together on the initiative, the cost would be £100 per church to see people praying within your community.  £12,000 has already been raised.

To find out how you could get involved or to talk more about this initiative, call trypraying on 0131 202 6449, visit www.trypraying.co.uk or email office@trypraying.co.uk

Trypraying resources for your church are available from There Is Hope here and can also be ordered through CPO.