INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- A Missouri congregation is talking about sex in church, attracting quite a bit of attention.

KMBC-TV reported that the New Harvest Church is sending a message through its KC Sex Challenge efforts. Jason Cox, the church's pastor, said the church has deployed 150 yard signs, sent 20,000 postcards and erected seven huge billboards.

"God invented sex. It was his plan, his idea. When we do sex within the confines of marriage, when we do it God's way, we can have great sex," Cox said.

Cox admitted that this was meant for a little shock value and said the reaction has been mixed.

"Actually, on one day alone, it took about three hours to respond to phone calls and e-mails. A lot of people have a problem with the church talking about sex, but I can't think about a better place to talk about sex," Cox said.

Cox said the message is about promoting healthy relationships: sex for those who are married and abstinence for those who are not.

"I think it's a message that's kind of been lost through the years, but I definitely think it's a message that should be brought back," Cox said.

While the sex signs didn't exactly bring in the crowd the pastor hoped for, he said it's a start.

"I want to change people's thinking about sex because most people think of sex as a dirty thing, as a nasty thing. Well, actually it's a beautiful thing. It's a great thing that God designed," Cox said.

The sex talk continues each Sunday morning in October.

If you want to know more about the New Harvest Church, or what else the KC Sex Challenge is about, log on to www.kcsexchallenge.com.