Vermonters Receive Great Controversy Mailers, Much to Their Confusion
9 November 2022 |
On October 28, 2022, NBCNews detailed the reactions of Vermonters who received a mass mailing of Ellen G. White’s The Great Controversy last month. One Vermonter who received the book, Henry Fiacco, said:
“Did a quick Google search, found the author, found the book and some information on it. I read maybe a page and was like ‘this is tough to follow….” I’m sure there’s a motive behind it otherwise they wouldn’t have done it. Whether it’s to polarize people, I don’t know.”
The complete video interview was posted on NBC’s website, with further questioning about whether the books might be related to a secondary mailer that arrived at the same time from an organization called Cross America. When asked about the correlation between the books and the small silver crosses delivered to each home, Terry Merrell, chair of Cross America, said the timing of the mailers sent to the Green Mountain State was a coincidence.”We’re obviously not affiliated with that. Our mission is every home in America. So it’s one cross, one message, one time.”
Local Burlington channel WCAX3 asked Essex Junction resident Adam Thompson and others about the books. Thompson responded that, “Some people would pick it up and put it in the trash, because it’s cluttering up the lobby. So, I don’t think it had an effect really.”
However, one marketing director, Matthew Dodds, had a unique perspective documented by WCAX3:
“I do think as things progress, as digital becomes more common and perhaps direct marketing less so, things in the mail stand out more.” said Dodds.
He said the abrupt nature of a whole book or metal figure also serves as intriguing elements, likely getting people to at least inquire for a few moments.
Dodds said “I would imagine they get a fair amount of traction, that they sparked dialogue, and a lot of people are reading, I’m quite sure of it.”
ABCActionNews highlighted the books from a different angle – as the “untold story behind the Vatican’s rising influence in America” – reporting that Vermont, Wyoming, and Hawaii are at least three of the U.S. states that have reportedly received the religious items.
Image: Screenshot from NBC5 Interview Video
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