News from the JESUS Film Project
North Africans Accept 50,000 JESUS Videos
As regular as summer, North Africans residing in Europe head south in July and August to return to their countries of birth and the family members there.
For many, a unique gift pack went with them as they boarded ferries on foot or in their cars to cross the Mediterranean. The small plastic bag contained two French-Arabic New Testaments, an audiocassette Arabic soundtrack of the JESUS film, two copies of an illustrated children’s booklet, and a cassette tape on Abraham. All 50,000 donated JESUS videos were distributed by the end of July, organizers reported.
Volunteers from 20 countries distributed at least 77,000 packets to individuals, contacting an estimated 10 percent of all vacationers passing through the port cities. Gifts from Christians in North America and Europe provided the materials.u
That Australians May Know Jesus
An accelerated effort in 1997 will seek to let Australians discover for themselves the facts about a person surprisingly few of them know much about: Jesus Christ.
Church members, in cooperation with Australia’s Campus Crusade ministry, distributed more than 40,000 videos to communities in four states. Commented Young Goh, the project’s coordinator, “Most Australians don’t reject Christ. They don’t know who He is.” Eighty percent of the nation, he estimates, knows little to nothing about the person of Christ.
Australian Christians want to see that changed through the ongoing distribution project. One man contacted the project office to order 500 videos to be given to a community. After years of abuse as a child, he had come to know Christ personally and had seen his life changed. Upon receiving a legal settlement, he decided to use the amount so that others could know of God’s love.u
Tajik Prison Church Shows JESUS
Those using the JESUS film in Tajikistan, a former Soviet republic, report varied uses of the film, whether in street meetings, among students, at hospitals, or in prisons. One such showing yielded a prison church with a continuing outreach to incoming inmates.
The church began after volunteers showed the JESUS film there in 1995, introducing numerous inmates to the Savior. Local churches now supervise the fellowship group which meets in a room allocated to them by the prison administration. A hand-painted scroll on the Sermon of the Mount adorns one wall. Regular attenders of the church meet daily for prayer.
Team member Sasha estimates that 20,000 prisoners at that particular institution have seen the JESUS film in the past two years.u
Hong Kong: 100,000 Audiocassettes in 14 Days
As the imminent return to Chinese rule approached, Christians in Hong Kong took to the streets, not to demonstrate, but to distribute. Within two weeks, volunteers distributed 100,000 audiocassettes of the dramatized JESUS film soundtrack.
Nazarenes Partner with JESUS Film
The Church of the Nazarene and Campus Crusade for Christ Int’l. have partnered together to spread the Gospel through the showing of the JESUS Film, according to Louie E. Bustle, World Mission Division director.
“We are thrilled with the cooperative agreement with Campus Crusade,” said Bustle. “The JESUS Film is one of the most effective evangelistic tools ever developed, and the Church of the Nazarene stands poised to reach millions of people with the gospel message through the showing of this film.”
The plan calls for the World Mission division to form up to 200 Nazarene teams comprised of nationals from their respective countries. These films will evangelize in many world areas, each showing the film twice a week.
The idea evolved as a group of Nazarene laypersons involved with Campus Crusade worked in the formation of the partnership. Campus Crusade then approached the Church of the Nazarene with a proposal. Campus Crusade anticipates making the Church of the Nazarene a model of partnership with other denominations.
Source: Nazarene Weekly News.
SPECIAL OFFER FROM THE JESUS FILM PROJECT FOR MISSION FRONTIERS READERS
Now Mission Frontiers readers can get foreign language copies of the JESUS Film at a SPECIAL REDUCED PRICE. Currently retailing for $34. 95, foreign language versions can be purchased for just $18.00 each, plus shipping. ($4.50 in U.S., international orders $15.00 airmail). Make checks payable to the JESUS Film Project and specify format: NTSC for U.S.: PAL for European use.
For Faster Service with a Credit Card Call: 1-800-432-1997
The JESUS Film Project P.O. Box 72007 San Clemente, CA 92674-9207 Fax: 714-492-0381
Visit our WEB Site at: http://www.jesusfilm.org
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