Church's 'Strip For Me' billboard draws attention Posted: Monday, March 25, 2013 10:50 PM EDT Updated: Monday, April 1, 2013 10:50 PM EDT 
 
 The Rock Church says its unusual billboard is serving its purpose, grabbing people's attention and making patrons of a local strip club think twice about how they spend their money. 
 
 Their sign quotes Jesus from Hebrews, saying simply, "Strip for me." The message: Instead of spending money in a strip club, spend it in a way that will better your family and yourself. 
 
 Even more powerful is the location of the sign, which can be seen just behind The Palace Gentlemen's Club sign on 3rd Avenue West in downtown Birmingham. 
 
 Pastor Mike McClure, Jr. expected some negativity in response to the billboard but he doesn't mind. He says his church is out to change lives of Magic City men. 
 
 "We stratigically picked the strip club because we want the brothers who are walking in...to know God has a greater cause for your life," he said. 
 
 McClure says the religious message is clear in the scripture on the billboard. 
 
 "The scripture says...slows down, maybe your life is slow because of stuff you need to strip off. When you begin to strip watch how fast your life goes," he said. 
 
 McClure wants to hold men accountable and encourage them to stay out of strip clubs and spend more time being good fathers and family members. He says the big picture is making Birmingham better. 
 
 "It all starts with a good man in the house. I'm trying to get brothers to put that money back into your home. Go home, raise your kids. I promise you, crime will go down," McClure said. 
 
 One resident thought the billboard was inappropriate and others thought it was acutally an ad for the club. But one woman thinks it's a creative way to get people to think. 
 
 "Anything to make them stop and think, "Hey, my decisions aren't that great,' I think that's a good think," Caitlin Bensel said. 
 
 
 
 Copyright 2013 WBRC. All rights reserved. ||||| Police launch probe into church sign that suggested non-Christians will burn in hell after ONE person complained 
 
 Poster with burning flames put up at Attleborough Baptist Church, Norfolk 
 
 The sign read: 'If you think there is no God you'd better be right!!' 
 
 
 
 Robert Gladwin, 20, accused the sign of going against Christian traditions 
 
 
 
 Pastor forced to remove sign after police investigated it as a 'hate incident' 
 
 
 
 A pastor at Attleborough Baptist Church in Norfolk, was spoken to by police after this poster appeared on the church's notice board 
 
 A baptist church was at the centre of a police probe after a sign which suggested non-Christians would 'burn in hell' was investigated as a 'hate incident'. 
 
 
 
 The offending sign at Attleborough Baptist Church in Norfolk, pictured burning flames below words which read: 'If you think there is no God you better be right!!'. 
 
 Now the church has been forced to remove the sign after a passer-by complained to police that it could 'not be further' from the Christian phrase, love thy neighbour. 
 
 
 
 Robert Gladwin, 20, said: 'It is my basic understanding that Christianity is inclusive and loving in nature. 
 
 ' The message being displayed outside of the church could not be further from the often uttered phrase ‘love thy neighbour’.' 
 
 
 
 Mr Gladwin said he was 'astounded' when he spotted the poster by chance as he was walking home. 
 
 He said: 'I was just astounded really. We live in the 21st century and they have put that message - that non-Christians will burn in hell - up to try and scare people into joining their mentality.' 
 
 The strongly-worded sign - which was put up next to a notice board which promises that visitors 'can always be sure of a very warm welcome' - was taken down by Pastor John Rose, 69, after police launched an investigation into the complaint. 
 
 Mr Rose said he 'regretted' how the poster could have been interpreted. 
 
 He said: 'Attleborough Baptist Church offers a variety of ways in which people are able to engage with the Christian message. 
 
 'Jesus encourages us to love God and to love our neighbour and we therefore regret that the poster has been seen as inciting hatred. 
 
 'Indeed, we want to assure all members of our local community that they would be made to feel very welcome at any of the church's activities.' 
 
 Mr Rose said he changed the posters on his notice board every two weeks. 
 
 The poster has now been replaced by another one with the message : 'God loves you!' and a picture of a meerkat and a speech bubble saying: 'Simples'. 
 
 Robert Gladwin, 20, complained to police about the poster after saying it suggested non-Christians would 'burn in hell'. He said the poster 'could not be further away from the often uttered phrase 'love thy neighbour' 
 
 But despite the sign now being removed, it has still caused controversy in the church's local area. 
 
 Chris Copsey, from Norfolk Humanists, branded the sign 'pernicious nonsense'. 
 
 
 
 He said: 'I believe the people of Attleborough have more common sense than to give this sign any credence.' 
 
 Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, also defended the church and said police involvement was the equivalent of 'banning the Bible'. 
 
 He said: 'Personally I don’t find it offensive. But we did fight a long battle of freedom of speech together with Christian groups because we believe that freedom of speech is essential to a functioning society. 
 
 The church has now taken down the poster after being spoken to by police 
 
 ' If you don’t give free speech to everybody then it isn’t free speech and as long as they aren’t inciting violence then I think it is acceptable to say whatever you want to say.' 
 
 But the Reverand Simon Ward, of the Diocese of Norwich, said: 'I guess they are trying to open a conversation and cause people to think. 
 
 'However, I think there are more positive conversations that you could have and more positive reasons for coming to church.' 
 
 A Norfolk police spokesman said: 'Norfolk Constabulary received a report regarding a poster outside a church in Attleborough which was deemed offensive by the complainant. 
 
 ' National guidance required us to investigate the circumstances and the matter has been recorded as a hate incident. 
 
 'Having spoken to the pastor of the church, it has been agreed the poster will be taken down.' 
 
 The controversy has echoes of a freedom of speech debate sparked in January 2009, after the British Humanist Association launched an anti-religion advertising campaign on London buses. 
 
 The campaign was made up of posters disputing the existence of god, which read: 'There’s probably no god. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.'
– A billboard near a "gentlemen's club" in Birmingham screams out "strip for me" to passersby, which is notable mainly because it was put up not by the club but by a local church, reports WBRC. The pastor of Rock Church is paraphrasing a line from the Bible's book of Hebrews I, in which people are asked to strip away their sins and encumbrances to serve Jesus. The pastor says his attention-grabbing stunt has a simple purpose: He wants guys to think twice about going into the club and spend that time with their families instead.