ORLANDO — Movie theaters, fax machines, diaper-changing stations and a banner towed behind an airplane are just some of the ways First United Methodist Church here is letting its community know what’s going on.

"We have a lot to offer," said Candie Whitney, the church’s director of communications. "We just have to get people in."

Getting the word out and getting people in is a major part of Whitney’s job, and the media she uses are as varied as the activities and ministries she is promoting to the community.

"I use different avenues depending on what program it is," she said. The audience she is trying to reach is also a factor.

Much of the marketing and advertising she does falls under the category of "general church," she said, and is intended to reach unchurched people or people looking for a church home. Her goal is to let them know that the church exists and where it is. Some messages are geared toward local people. Others are designed to let tourists know about worship opportunities.

Whitney said the church has bought a "movie screen," which is a slide that shows in theaters prior to the beginning of the movie. The church also runs advertisements, including one from Outreach Marketing, a national church advertising company. Based on the popular "Got Milk?" campaign, it has a picture of a woman with a milk carton asking, "Got Church?" and the church’s location.

"I got a few calls from that ad," she said, "and people came to visit and mentioned seeing the ad."

For other church events, like concerts, singles dances, youth events and its Women’s Luncheon Series, Whitney says she uses more traditional means of spreading the news. Depending on the size of the audience she is trying to reach, Whitney will send out between 60 and 700 announcements to area businesses, district and downtown churches, and residents.

Through the church’s membership in the Downtown Partnership Association, it has access to fax numbers at many downtown Orlando businesses. The church is also starting to collect e-mail addresses of people who attend events there.

The church is now sponsoring programs on local Public Broadcasting Service stations. This year, the church sponsored "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Coat" and a Bill Moyers series on Genesis. This fall, it will sponsor its first children’s program, "Clifford the Big Red Dog."

"We’re trying to get the message out to families," Whitney said.

The church has also bought advertising in the "Orlando Sentinel," Orlando-area tourist publications, real estate agent magazines and local high school newspapers. It even advertises its youth ministry on cups at one high school’s football games.

"There are a lot of creative things you can do that don’t cost a lot of money," Whitney said. "Many places give us reduced rates because we’re non-profit."

One of the biggest challenges Whitney faces is convincing people in the church that marketing the church is important. "Some church members don’t feel it’s necessary to advertise," she said. "But it’s spreading the word of the church and the word of Christ. It’s outreach."