November 6, 2000

Texas churches receiving videos promoting 'Jesus' video
___By Ferrell Foster
___Texas Baptist Communications
___Three Texas Baptists are featured on a promotional video for the "Jesus" Video Project of Texas, which was to be mailed to every church in Texas the week of Oct. 16.
___Dave McFadden, pastor of First Baptist Church in Kerrville; Ramiro Pena, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Cristo El Rey in Waco; and Charles Wade, executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, are featured on the video.
___The promotional tape is designed "to challenge church staffs and congregations to get involved in one of the greatest evangelistic initiatives of modern times," according to the project's website, www.jesusvptexas.org.
___A 30-member committee, representing many denominations, has been leading the effort to get the "Jesus" video into every home in Texas, said Lee Miller, communications director for the project and a member of Carpenter's Way Baptist Church in Lufkin. The promotional tape seeks to generate support for that effort.
___Wade says on the video that his prayer has been that "every believer, every church, every denomination in Texas" can, by working together, "put our arms around this state, and we can hug this state up close to God."
___The "Jesus" video is an 83-minute version of a two-hour film produced by Warner Brothers in 1979, Miller said. The film has been used for years in evangelistic efforts overseas. It tells the story of Jesus coupled with an evangelistic message.
___ "Most people in Texas have heard about Jesus," Wade says, "but they really need to know him and the power of his resurrection. ... Over half the people in Texas are unchurched. This is our opportunity."
___"This is a TV-oriented generation," McFadden says. "This video really works."
___Pena says the "growing cultural and language diversity in Texas demands that we have a tool that can be used to meet the need of every language group. The 'Jesus' video does just that."
___Two presentations are included on the promotional tape, one for the church staff and another for the whole congregation, Miller said. The Texas Baptists appear on the first one. The latter one is a shortened version of a video used nationwide.
___Others appearing on the video are Bill Bright, president of Campus Crusade for Christ, which is leading the project; Robby Carson, project coordinator; Max Lucado, author and a San Antonio pastor; Adrian Rogers, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in suburban Memphis, Tenn.; Tony Evans, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Church in Dallas; Josh McDowell, author and speaker; and Vic Schober, senior pastor of The Church of Glad Tidings in Austin.
___The Texas committee is planning a pilot project for distribution of the "Jesus" video to portions of the state at the beginning of April 2001, Miller said. At that time, the video will be sent to every household in an area if 20 percent of churches are actively involved and the necessary money has been raised.
___Areas will be defined by the first three digits of the ZIP code, Miller said. Areas that meet the requirements by Jan. 5 will be eligible to have all households receive the video. Austin and Waco areas are now on target for the pilot mailing.
___Details regarding each ZIP area are available on the project website.
___For information on becoming involved in the project, call (877)-JESUS80.

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