‘Inspiring stories about God’s love’ sent to Swiss newspaper readers

About 180,000 readers of Swiss national newspaper ‘Blick’ will get a copy of “15 Minutes for Faith”, a 24-page-long supplement with reports about how regular people experience God in their daily life.

The special supplement produced by the Swiss Evangelical Alliance (SEA) will be in the hands of thousands of readers on December 22, just before Christmas.

“We want to give people a chance to tell their story and make a statement about their faith. I think we have an impact on Christians and also on people who do not believe in God”, SEA spokesperson Simon Bucher told Evangelical Focus.

“Through the opportunity to add the “Viertelstunde zum Glauben” [its original name in German] in the newspaper we can reach much more people, also in the secularistic context”, he explained.

In addition to the Blick newspaper supplement, 170’000 more copies will be directly distributed to post-boxes in many towns and cities around Switzlerand by a team of 170 volunteers.

 

REAL STORIES OF REGULAR CHRISTIANS

 

This is the 23rd edition of this initiative, and it will include “articles, portraits, testimonies around the theme of ‘time’”. A young couple explains how every minute counts for them after their baby was born with an illness, a University professor looks at time from an astrophysical perspective, and games for children are found on the final pages.

The aim of the project is helping Swiss citizens “to get more and more familiar with the love of God for each one of us, in a human and authentic way”.

How did the Swiss Evangelical Alliance get the chance to reach such a big audience through a national newspaper? Bucher says this is “a bit of a secret”, but what is clear is that it is a “blessing to have this connection”.

 

A PROJECT TO BE USED IN OTHER COUNTRIES? 

Could a project like this be implemented in other countries? Yes, the promoters in Switzerland believe. It is all about “searching for stories which are touching, inspiring and constructive for other people”, Bucher says. “If you have a good idea, go for it”.

Of course it is always a financial challenge to produce a high quality print magazine, but it is a valuable way of “rising our voices” and share real-life experiences of what it means to believe in the God of the Bible.

Learn more about the project and read this Christmas’ edition of “15 minutes for faith” at the project’s website.