That's a good question that's piqued the interest of more than the odd passer-by over the years and which we will answer with the help of an informative article on this very subject from the Las Vegas Weekly dated two years ago, which we came across in the course of this research.
One of the billboards you're referring to -- the one currently sporting what looks like a road sign, with the word GOD in capital letters and an arrow pointing towards California (God lives in California?) -- is owned by Ad America, but has been being paid for since 2008 by a local non-profit called the Light of Peace Project, which was incorporated in December, 2003. John Bielinski is listed as president, director, secretary, and treasurer and the address is given as 2310 S Highland Dr., which is actually the address of that billboard.
Over the years, this double-sided sign has carried a number of religious messages, often just in the form of a single name, like "Jesus" or "God." At other times, the message has been longer, including "I am YHWH … who brought you … out of the house of slavery" and, "With our thoughts we make the world. –Buddha." In the past, there was usually a different message from Light of Peace on each side of the billboard, but when we drove by to check last night, we found the south-facing side currently carrying a non-related ad (we think for an attorney).
Back when the Weekly was researching their piece, they contacted a spokeswoman for organization, who asked to stay anonymous but was quoted as saying that Light of Peace is a project of international scope that "brings all people together through prayer in their own religions, in their own way." Behind it is the thought that "if we all get together and think about peace, and pray for it, then we can accomplish it."
That was back in 2009 and the billboards were intended, apparently, to be a precursor to greater things, but we've been unable to find out much more about Light of Peace or any other activities the group has branched out into, although the signs continue to appear and change on a regular basis.
Apparently, Ad America routinely receives phone calls about the billboards, but says the majority of feedback is positive and only a few people complain.
Meanwhile, just to confuse things, there's another, as far as we know unrelated group, that also promotes Christian messages on billboards in Las Vegas and elsewhere around the nation. GodSpeaks.com is a project that traces its origins back to south Florida in 1998, when an anonymous donor contacted an advertising agency with an idea for a local billboard campaign that would create a spiritual climate and get people thinking about their relationship with God.
There initially were nine boards, each sporting a different and often amusing quote, attributed to God, including, "Do you have any idea where you're going?" or, "What part of 'Thou shalt not…' didn’t you understand?" The concept proved to be so successful that the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) offered to use the sayings as its national public service campaign for 1999, which resulted in GodSpeaks sayings appearing on some 10,000 billboards in 200 cities across America. There are instructions on the website about how to introduce a GodSpeaks billboard to your own town, if you're interested.
Click here for a great image of the God/arrow billboard (when it was apparently facing the opposite way), and click here to view some former and current "God Speaks" campaigns.
