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The parishes of the Diocese of New Westminster are definitely on the upswing when it comes to letting folks know that all are welcome to participate in worship and events in the Anglican Church of Canada throuugh improved exterior signage.

The Parish of St. Martin, North Vancouver has upgraded its exterior signage with three new wayfinding street signs.  Similar to the familiar Augsburg Fortress signs that have dotted the highways and byways of Canada for generations the new signs at St. Martin’s are brighter and bolder and use modern fonts.

When asked about the new signage, the rector, the Reverend Robin Ruder-Celiz told diocesan communications that they went with a local company, Finline Graphics and the cost at $300 a piece is less than the mail order price for the Augsburg Fortress offerings.  According to Ruder-Celiz, improving the parish’s exterior and wayfinding signage was “something that came up every now and then over the past couple of years, but it wasn’t until 2018 that the Leadership Team went ahead with the new signs.”

Using a local company that creates made to order signage offers a lot more flexibility. Having the parish’s web url in a prominent place was an important component of the design, which was largely developed by the rector and the parish administrator. A member of the congregation was tasked with taking down the old signs and installing the new ones.

In closing, Ruder-Celiz had this to say about the experience, “It has been interesting to note from within the parish the number of people who’ve noticed that the signs had come down. This indicates that they are indeed noticed by people and has made the project worthwhile.”