Easter Season Gives Boost to Outreach
On one of the most spiritually significant days for Christians, pastors and ministries are urging more than a celebration. It’s urging outreach.
On one of the most spiritually significant days for Christians, pastors and ministries are urging more than a celebration. They're urging outreach.
Reports and studies indicate that Easter is one of the two times in a year that the unchurched attend service and church attendance increases. In a recent study on the unchurched in America, researcher George Barna reported, "Every year, many previously unchurched people return to a church for one or more Easter season services."
Barna noted two motivations for the return: "the compelling invitation of a close friend who accompanies them to the service, or a personal crisis that compels them to seek God more fervently."
On pastors.com, Brad Lewis suggested a list of possible outreach ideas for the Easter season, when more people are open to hearing the Gospel message. Some of his ideas include presenting an outdoor Easter drama, a showing of "The Passion of the Christ," hosting a community prayer vigil, holding a "Music for Good Friday" concert, or giving away children's Easter books.
On that last note, the distributor of the most widely-translated and viewed film in history is encouraging outreach to children. The JESUS Film's Story of Jesus for Children is available for the entire story of Christ, from the death to the resurrection, to be told.
The Story of Jesus for Children already began showing in cinemas around the country, running for 30 days before Easter. People in villages and small towns are being given the opportunity to see "JESUS."
The DVD is translated into 15 different languages for the Gospel to be shared in the mother tongues of children throughout the world. Languages include such languages as English, Latin American Spanish, French, German, Russian, Arabic, Japanese and Korean.
The Story of Jesus for Children has been translated in 101 languages to date.
For more information, visit www.jesusfilm.org
