How Gen-Z youth at this Andheri church are spreading positivity with their signboard

In the bustling neighbourhood of Chakala in Andheri Holy Family Church stands as a beacon of hope for passersby with its green signboard at Gate 2 displaying messages that make people pause reflect and take to social media to inspire others not only in the city but around the worldWhile the board has been around for a while a team of GenZ parishioners along with the churchs priests has been using it in recent times to spread positive messages The core group consisting of Chelsea Dsouza Fraser Rodrigues Angelica Cardoza and Charles Fernandes said that though they donrsquot particularly use the word lsquoGodrsquo they are guided by the teachings of the Bible while taking the liberty of using GenZ slang or trending buzzwordsHumorous messages on the signboard of Holy Family Church in Chakala Andheri East PicsBy Special ArrangementFootball feverWith the current craze surrounding the FIFA World Cup 2026 the group put out a very short and sweet message lsquoA Goal Is Earned Not Giftedrsquo This came after a series of others including lsquoSome Blessings Arrive Like Monsoon Late Loud And Worth The Waitrsquo amid the delay in seasonal rainfall Some messages such as lsquoDonrsquot Post A Peaceful Life Live Onersquo also serve as beautiful reminders in the age of social media addictionNew directionDsouza 25 a data and business analyst said ldquoEarlier there was a recreation team that used to work on the signboard but we werenrsquot regular and it used to display Bible verses We started putting more effort during the elections because we thought why not use this medium to put out messages such as lsquoHave you votedrsquo lsquoThank you for votingrsquo and lsquoEvery vote countsrsquordquoThe brainstorming processInterestingly the team discusses everything on a WhatsApp group where they bounce off ideas before settling on a message that goes up on Saturday evening so that itrsquos the first thing people who are coming to church on Sunday can see Being so good at what they do it barely takes them any time to come up with catchy lines In fact more time is spent arranging letters on the boardRole of parish priestsWhile the parish priest Fr Gerard Rodricks SJ oversees everything that comes out on the board Fr Lloyd Sambrya SJ is currently in charge of the youth group Quoting an apt biblical verse Fr Lloyd said ldquoThe inspiration and motivation come from the word of God and the passion for the youth work The verse lsquoYour word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path mdash Psalm 119105rsquo defines itrdquoAsked what role he thinks churches play in spreading a positive message he said ldquoThe church has a very crucial role in spreading the social message because the church is within the society and not a separate entity by itselfrdquoHot topicsRodrigues a 27yearold student and photographer said ldquoWe try to be topical by thinking about subjects like films summer and even traffic We also realised that every time we put up something about Mumbai people relate to it a lotrdquo Even though they have been putting the effort in over the past three years Dsouza believes the reason why more Mumbaikars are relating to it now more than ever before is that the group is ldquonow talking in their languagerdquo citing messages that have gone viral such as lsquoBe In Your Jo Hoga Dekha Jayega ErarsquoGoing viralldquoEven if our billboard makes someonersquos day or brings a smile to somebodyrsquos face it is a winrdquo said Rodrigues who added that they started with Instagram Stories and timelapse videos of them putting up the words on the board But when they switched to reels and hit 15 million views they realised how they could reach more peopleParishioner SpeaksRebecca Fernandes a longtime parishionerlsquoI love these thoughtprovoking church boards They appeal to nonCatholics as well In fact I do see an Instagram post by a nonCatholic who regularly posts these videos of the signboard and asks his followers on the platform what they think about itrsquo