Photos: Church Makes No Bones About Its NHL Favorite

As the Tampa Bay Lightning continue to battle it out against the New York Rangers for the Eastern Conference title and a chance at the Stanley Cup, the Florida team has a big supporter in its corner.

“As For Me And My House, We Are The Thunder,” proclaims the sign outside St. Petersburg’s Our Savior Lutheran Church & School.

While the humorous messages aren’t coming directly from the big man himself, Assistant Pastor Tyler Moore, a native Floridian, has been inspired to rally passersby to the local cause. The sign board that sits outside the 301 58th St. S. church has been updated regularly with inspirational messages throughout the playoffs.

“And God Said Let There Be Lightning,” it proclaimed one day. “Jesus Saves Stamkos Scores Go Bolts,” it declared on another.

The signage has become such a popular sight, the church has created a national buzz as the playoff run continues.

“This whole sign thing is sort of crazy,” Moore told Patch. “I am blown away at the amount of media attention they are getting.”

While the local church clearly has a NHL favorite, Moore says the signs have sparked the opportunity for his congregation to share more about themselves and what they do.

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“As a church, our mission is ’’Living Love: Love God. Love People. Serve the World,’” he said. “Through interviews and articles about these signs I’ve been able to share with people that we serve 200 kids a week through Pack-A-Snack, that we take quarterly trips to the Amigos Center in Immokalee Florida to distribute food and donated items, and that we work with an anti-human trafficking organization to raise awareness.”

Although quite serious about the mission, Moore said his congregation also enjoys “a good time and likes to laugh. We love what we do and we love to have fun while we do it.”

As for the Bolts’ chances against the Rangers as the conference series continues, Our Savior offers some insights.

“Learn From Adam & Eve Say No To The Big Apple,” read one of its messages.

The series against the Rangers continues Friday at 8 p.m. in Tampa. The other games in the series are set for Sunday and Tuesday. As of Friday morning, the Lightning led the series 2-1, which wasn’t a surprise to the folks at Our Savior.

“Thou Shalt Be The Thunder Go Bolts,” read one of the signs.

For more information about the church, visit its website or Facebook page.

Photos courtesy of Our Savior Lutheran Church & School

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