I’d been hearing for a year or two about the United Methodist Church‘s new TV campaign — but I’d never seen any of the ads, certainly not on actual television. (I may have watched one online at the UMC web site.)

Well, tonight on Food Network, I’ve seen three spots in the space of an hour. They even got a sponsor announcement: “This Food Network program is brought to you by … the people of the United Methodist Church.”

Two of the spots have come during one of my all-time favorite TV shows, “Good Eats.” I know nothing at all about Alton Brown’s religious background or beliefs. It is worth noting, however, that the one time a church was featured on the show it was identified as being United Methodist. Many episodes of “Good Eats” have a storyline, and in that case — an episode about casseroles — the episode begins with Brown wandering by a little country church where a pot luck has been set up outside.