Apparently it isn’t only Americans who have gone Pokemon-crazy recently.

The game Pokemon Go – in which mobile phone users wander about catching fictional creatures on their phones – has swept through the culture, involving tens of millions of people worldwide. The game uses various landmarks and buildings (including churches) as Pokestops, where game players obtain useful items for use in the game.

But the small Norwegian town of Vindenes laments that it does not have a single Pokestop, requiring players to walk up to five miles to find one. So the town fathers have built a 10-foot tall Pokemon statue in hopes that the game developer will make it a Pokestop.

According to an August 11 UPI story which references a YouTube video, the prime minister has been invited to visit the village for the grand opening of the statue and residents are hoping the sculpture with get the attention of game developer Niantic to have a Pokestop put in their village.”

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About The Author

Michael Duduit is the founding publisher and editor of Preaching magazine. He is also the founding Dean of the new College of Christian Studies and Professor of Christian Ministry at Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina. Michael is author and editor of several books, including the Handbook of Contemporary Preaching (Broadman & Holman Press), Joy in Ministry (Baker Books), Preaching With Power (Baker) and Communicate With Power (Baker). From 1996 until 2000 he served as editor of the Abingdon Preaching Annual series. His email newsletter, PreachingNow, is read each week by more than 40,000 pastors and church leaders in the U.S. and around the world. He is founder and director of the National Conference on Preaching and the International Congress on Preaching, which has been held in 1997 at Westminster Chapel in London, 2002 at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and 2007at Cambridge. He has been a pastor and associate pastor, has served a number of churches as interim pastor, and speaks regularly for churches, colleges and conferences.

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