Four anti-Catholic billboards have been placed in Portland, reported the National Catholic Reporter (see p. 5). Similar billboards were placed in Medford and Salem, and mainline religious leaders are seething, reports Portland's primary newspaper The Oregonian. Les Balsiger and his Printed Page Ministry, Troy, Montana, is sponsoring these Oregon billboards. And rumors continue to suggest that one or more right-wing Adventist organizations will also run an anti-Catholic media campaign in Denver, coordinated with the visit of Pope John Paul II in August. In late June neither of the two major billboard companies in Denver had contracted to place billboards featuring the pope, said an official at the Rocky Mountain Seventh-day Adventist Conference office.

There is a clear feeling among Adventists in the Northwest that placement of the billboards is a step toward the establishment of historic Adventist groups and congregations, stated Ed Schwisow, director of communications for the North Pacific Union Conference.

The official church is running a proactive media campaign in Denver, aside from what might be advertised by independent Adventists. During July, 119 thirty-second television ads are running on the NBC, ABC and CBS affiliated stations in the early evening. The ads will focus on Christ as the answer to modern ills, with the Adventist denomination identified as a sponsor. An 800 number will be listed so that callers may request a complimentary copy of Steps to Christ. A $50,000 budget comes from individual church members and the local, union, division and general conferences. The Adventist Media Center is producer of the television ads.