Although daily newspaper readership is dwindling, Hobby Lobby continues to share the gospel effectively through print and online media.
The retailer’s full-page Christmas message is appearing this week in newspapers across the country. The ad features the words, “It’s a boy” with a scripture from Luke 2:11, “Today in the town of David a savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.”
As with previous ads, Hobby Lobby partners with Need Him Ministry to invite anyone who would like to know Jesus to contact www.chataboutjesus.com. The ad also offers a free Bible for mobile devices at www.mardel.com/bible.
Since 1997, holiday messages have appeared in local papers in each town where Hobby Lobby has a store. With the addition of social media, many more thousands of people view and share the hope-filled messages.
READ: Gospel for Asia brings Christmas hope to Asian orphans
Steve Green, president of Hobby Lobby, tells the story of the company’s history of publishing holiday ads in his book “Faith in America”. In 1970, David and Barbara Green took out a $600 loan to begin making miniature picture frames out of their home. Two years later, the fledgling enterprise opened a 300-square-foot store in Oklahoma City, and Hobby Lobby was born.
The reason for the season. "Today in the town of David a savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord." – Luke 2:11https://t.co/ePL8UKhjFY pic.twitter.com/P6L4hBPHeg
— Official Hobby Lobby (@HobbyLobby) December 25, 2019
Today, with more than 850 stores, Hobby Lobby is the largest privately owned arts-and-crafts retailer in the world, with more than 37,500 employees and operating in 46 states. Mardel Christian and Education Supply, an affiliate company, offers books, Bibles, gifts, church and education supplies as well as homeschooling curricula. Hobby Lobby also maintains offices in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Yiwu, China.
“We believe it is by God’s grace and provision that Hobby Lobby has endured,” David Green said. “He has been faithful in the past; we trust Him for our future.”
From the beginning, the company’s core values have formed a foundation to guide decision making, establish the corporate culture and determine how business is conducted. Hobby Lobby’s values include:
- Honoring the Lord in all we do by operating in a manner consistent with Biblical principles.
- Offering customers exceptional selection and value.
- Serving our employees and their families by establishing a work environment and company policies that build character, strengthen individuals and nurture families.
- Providing a return on the family’s investment, sharing the Lord’s blessings with our employees and investing in our community.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice