July 31, 2000
Distribution of 'Jesus' video brings dozens to church in small town
___By Ferrell Foster
___Texas Baptist Communications
___CLEBURNE--A video has helped revive a church that once was struggling to stay alive in a tiny community that lost its post office long ago.
___During the past five years, members of Bono Baptist Church have fanned out into the hills west of Cleburne to give people the "Jesus" video. As they went out, more and more people started coming in to the church.
___Pastor Kevin Bentley does not know exactly how many videos have been distributed, but he's sure about 50 have been given out on each of eight occasions since fall 1995. That would make a total of about 400 copies of the video, which depicts the life of Jesus and includes an evangelistic message.
___"We've pretty well given a video to everybody in the area," Bentley said. But the church plans to participate with other churches in a statewide distribution effort expected in coming months.
___The Jesus Video Project of Texas is seeking to involve various Christian groups and churches in placing the video in every household in the state--more than 8 million of them. The project is now seeking to build church involvement and raise $20 million for the effort.
___Bono Church's efforts in passing out the video have coincided with steady growth in the congregation.
___Worship attendance at Bono had fallen to about 10 in the early 1990s. Today, about 140 people (not counting about 10 to 15 in the nursery) worship at the church's white-frame building.
___The growth had begun before the video project, Bentley said, but the video is "what got people excited about winning souls, got them excited about seeing the church grow. ... It changed the nature of the church from lethargic and dead and hopeless to feeling alive" as they saw more people come to faith in Christ.
___The church baptized 40 people last year.
___Back in 1995, Bentley and church member Bobby Vaughan came up with the idea of distributing videos in the area. "We wanted to do something to get the gospel out into the community," the pastor said.
___A Beautiful Feet Sunday was set as the day members would deliver the videos in a packet that included a plan of salvation questionnaire, a Gospel of John and popcorn. "Off our seat and on our feet and into the street" became the church's marching orders.
___Of about 40 people in worship on the first Beautiful Feet Sunday, 10 went out with the video packets, Bentley said. "The others said they would pray."
___"All we wanted to do was just drop it off" that Sunday, the pastor said.
___The Bono members then returned in two weeks to pick up the videos. That was a mistake, Bentley said. Many of the people had not yet taken time to view the film. In future distributions, the movie was given away and people from the church followed up about two months later only to answer questions, not collect the video.
___Six months later, in spring 1996, worship attendance had grown to 70, Bentley said. Another Beautiful Feet Sunday was scheduled, and 20 people took part.
___For the third effort in spring 1997, Bentley mapped out the area where the videos would be taken, going so far as to photograph all of the homes because rural addresses can be difficult to locate. Worship attendance had risen to 90, and more than 40 people distributed videos.
___By fall 1999, when the church passed out videos for the eighth time, attendance had grown to more than 100, and 60 to 70 people participated in distribution.
___Bono Baptist Church became so identified with the video that tapes were requested by families, Bentley said.
___It is hard to judge the impact of the video, he said. Sometimes the response is delayed over long periods of time. And "we don't know how many got on fire and went to their own church."
___As for Bono Baptist, construction is expected to start soon on a $350,000 auditorium. The current building is "packed" on Sundays, with chairs set up in the aisles.
___It is a church attended by "common, everyday kind of people like Jesus would have eaten with," Bentley said. "Many who come here are hurt and broken.
___"It's a place of salvation and healing," the pastor noted. And more and more people are coming "because the Lord is moving here."
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