Church billboard vandalised again

The Easter billboard outside St Matthew-in-the-City. Photo / NZPA

An inner city Auckland church which created world headlines with its Christmas message has had its Easter billboard targeted by vandals.

The Easter billboard featured a cartoon of a bearded Jesus nailed to the cross with the caption: "Well this sucks. I wonder if they'll remember anything I said..."

The billboard has been defaced with black marks scrawled over the caption and pink marks over Jesus.

Last Christmas a billboard at St Matthew in the City church featured a disappointed-looking Mary and Joseph in bed with a caption saying "Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow".

It drew criticism from around the world, was defaced, attacked with a knife, repaired, attacked again and finally removed.

Church spokesman, Reverend Clay Nelson was unavailable for comment today but said last week the Easter billboard would have no sex and would not offend people.

It was meant to entice people to think about their fundamental Christian belief and commitment and was not aimed at the Christian traditionalists, he said.

Some people, who found the church's theology contradictory to their own, chose to be offended but offending people was not what the church set out to achieve, he said.

Complaints about the Christmas billboard were dismissed by the Advertising Standards Authority last week.

- NZPA