WINNIPEG -- Even by contemporary liberal standards, the black metallic roadside hoarding makes for an unconventional advertisement for a church.

But Ivor Grant, the pastor at this non-denominational Protestant church in a shopping mall on the southern edge of Winnipeg, is unapologetic about the shock tactics he is using to entice people through the door.

"Our aim is to connect with people who would not normally visit a church, who would not darken the doors of a church," he said yesterday in an interview.

Mr. Grant, who was born in Jamaica and emigrated to Canada many years ago, said he draws his inspiration from Tommy Nelson, a Baptist pastor in Texas, and says that no other church in Canada has properly addressed sex and the Bible.

The bread-and-butter of his study classes is the sensual Song of Songs, the famous but frequently ignored book in the Old Testament that gives a sometimes explicit, sometimes allegorical, description of a lifelong love affair.

"For 2,000 years the church has basically allegorized the Song of Songs. They've said what this book is really about is Christ and the church, it's not about a man and a woman having sex," he said.

In many ways, Mr. Grant is traditional in his teachings, despite his novel approach to drawing newcomers to his church. He believes that sex before marriage is wrong. He is against abortion.

And he says that because of his methods, the word of God is getting through to people who wouldn't otherwise be interested. Eight newcomers, all women, have joined his 50-member congregation since the sex-talk classes began.

But he said the only conversation that made him uneasy was a suggestion that the Christian church should not talk about sex because it could offend aboriginals who had been abused in church-run residential schools.

In the mall where he preaches, the signpost was met with a shrug. "I don't have a problem with it -- it's about time," said one woman, who declined to give her name.

"Their church is looking for a way to attract parishioners. Whatever they need to do, I suppose, as long as it's within the bounds of decency," said Erwin Warkentin, general manager of the Mennonite Foundation of Canada, which has offices in the same mall.

This is cache, read story here