This is an article from the March - April 1998 issue: Laying a Firm Foundation for Mission in the Next Millennium

World View Video Library Makes A Positive Impact on Churches

World View Video Library Makes A Positive Impact on Churches

The images and messages of films and videos have the power to change a person's thinking and his life. This is the goal of assembling the Mobilization tool called the World View Video Library (WVVL), and there are plenty of examples that prove the impact of films and videos.

In 1953, Hollywood released a film, "A Man Called Peter," on the life of former U.S. Senate Chaplain Peter Marshall. There are pastors today who can trace their decision to become ministers to what they admired in the portrayal of a minister's life in that film.

In 1976, college journalism schools in America reported an increase in enrollment because many young men and women chose that career after seeing the 1975 film, "All the President's Men," about Watergate journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.

In 1979, the JESUS film was released, and since that time millions of people have become dedicated Christians as a result of seeing it.

Knowing that films and videos can have this kind of powerful impact, The Mobilization Division of The U.S. Center for World Mission has carefully put together the WVVL as gripping challenge for people to consider the full meaning of The Great Commission and missionary work.

The WVVL consists of six outstanding Christian films that have a world mission focus: Bamboo in Winter, Beyond the Next Mountain, EE- Taow and EE-Taow II: The Next Chapter, The Wait of the World and Guess Who's Coming to America. There are also a couple of documentary-style videos. All of these videos are packaged with a comprehensive Mobilization Manual/Curriculum guide which gives Adult Sunday School teachers or pastors everything they need to lead evening services or classes and discussions on the films.

The purpose of using this resource is to help broaden the worldview of Christians and challenge them to live holy and effective lives for God.

The first two lessons feature films by Christian film writer/director John Schmidt: The Wait of the World, and Guess Who's Coming to America. Both of these films use humor and drama to encourage Christians not just to be observers when it comes to working outside your church community, but to get involved.

The first film, The Wait of the World, focuses on the tendency that many Christians have of being spectators when it comes to getting involved with mission activities. The film shows the infectious joy of seeing people from other cultures come to know salvation. However, it is also honest about the difficulties of witnessing to a person from an unreached people group and the need to continue to be concerned about evangelism in general.

The second film, Guess Who's Coming To America, particularly calls American Christians to live lives of greater holiness and to reach out to international students and visitors from unreached people groups while respecting the culture of the international student.

The third lesson features the award winning Christian film, Bamboo in Winter, which dramatizes the persecution of Christians in China and stresses the importance of Bible distribution and house churches. While China is now becoming increasingly concerned with having more western style material wealth and America is wooing her as a trading partner, this film shows that China's greatest needs are spiritual.

The fourth lesson features, Beyond the Next Mountain, the true story of the founder of Bibles for the World, Rochunga Podaite. The film dramatizes PodaiteÕs conversion to Christ because of the Gospel of John and his struggle to get an education so that he could translate the whole Bible for the entire Hmar tribe in their own language.

The Fifth Lesson uses EE Taow and EE Taow Two: The Next Chapter, to show the excitement as the Gospel of Christ comes into a tribal culture for the first time and the thrill the tribe has in wanting to share the stories of Jesus and His salvation with neighboring tribes.

Other lessons feature mobilization documentaries to encourage involvement in world mission and to provide a complete picture of the task of world evangelization and what needs to be done in order for the task to be finished.

Pastors who have used these videos have found that the WVVL is an effective tool for mobilizing a local church. ÒWhen we started using the video library the people that were first coming really didn't have an exposure to missions and by their own admission were self-centered. Their thoughts were of what God is doing in our church, city and state," said Nathan Martin, Associate Pastor of Christian Challenge Church in Pineville, Louisiana. "Now tÒeir vision has been expanded to what God is doing all over the globe," he said.

As a result of going through WVVL classes and watching these videos, a young couple from Christian Challenge Church is seriously considering doing evangelism among unreached peoples, according to Pastor Nathan Martin. Nathan was so impressed he encouraged the pastor of a church in another town to use the WVVL seriesÑAllan Stroud, Senior Pastor of Beech Grove Congregational Methodist Church.

Pastor Stroud was greatly surprised by the WVVL: ÒI believe that God has chosen to reveal to us through this video series his heartbeat in a way that we have never understood before," he said. "It is going to make our people pray differently and see the world differently and that is going to make them see their role as believers differently."

These videos are designed to encourage prayer, not replace it. Individuals and churches that are seeking God in relation to their part in fulfilling the Great Commission will find helpful guidance in this valuable resource.

In talking about the greatest impact of the video library, Pastor Stroud said: "It has made us realize that nameless, faceless peoples that maybe we have never had contact with because of cultural and geographical barriers, are people that Jesus Christ loves just like us and that God is very intensely concerned about bringing them the message of the cross."

The World View Video Library can be ordered by contacting William Carey Library Publishers, P.O. Box 40129, Pasadena, California 91114 or by calling 1-800-647-7466 (1-800- MISSION)

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