THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST - Perhaps the Best Outreach Opportunity in 2000 years!
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Thank you for requesting this bi-weekly newsletter! We hope that the information provided will help you and your church use the
power of this film to reach the unchurched in your community.
"The movie was incredible and I'll never look at my Savior's death the same again. Nor will I be able to complain as easily about
the things that I suffer. Not only was I encouraged in my faith but also in ministry." - Mitch Janzen, Youth Pastor
"I've never heard God more clearly say, 'I love you' than I heard him say it through 'The Passion of the Christ.' And I've never
been more inspired to love him in return since seeing the movie. Yes, I'm tremendously excited about the movie's power for outreach.
But I'm just as excited about the power the movie brings for personal revival in the hearts of believers." - Ron Forseth, Outreach,
Inc.
"THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST" IN THE NEWS
· On January 12, 2004 Mel Gibson was presented with the People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture Actor--and this in spite
of not being in a motion picture released last year!
· Originally "The Passion of The Christ" was slated to release in 2,000 theaters nationwide. But this number has been expanding due
to requests by churches and Christians nationwide for local theaters to show the movie. (FYI - "Braveheart" opened on 2,030 screens.
"Pirates of the Caribbean" opened on 3,300.)
REAL WORLD PASSION-THEMED OUTREACH IDEAS AND EXAMPLES
Compass Church in Arizona, meets at a movie theater and has already made for a community outreach around "The Passion of The
Christ." Scott Heine reports the church plans a multifaceted approach to reaching the community including:
· Printing coupons for discounted tickets for the film during the opening week. The coupons will be distributed to everyone who
purchases tickets for any film between now and when The Passion is released.
· Posting a 4x12 banner on the theater wall by the concession stand.
· Working with several other churches to distribute InviteCards to everyone who purchases a ticket for The Passion so they can
invite their friends.
· Working with several churches to put a full-page ad in the local newspaper and to jointly sign a letter to the editor offering a
Christian perspective of the film -- its historicity, as well as comments on the controversy that keeps appearing in secular
publications.
· Using "Dying Was His Reason For Living" ImpactCards for a mass mailing to the community.
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First Baptist Church in Colorado plans an extensive spring outreach around the themes of The Passion. The spring campaign includes:
· Bulk purchases of hundreds of tickets for members and seekers to see the movie (Note: The members themselves will pay for these
tickets, not the church budget).
· A Mass mailing to 10,000 homes in the community.
· A six-week, Passion-related sermon series.
· Hosting Craig Blomberg, an expert on the resurrection often cited in the works of Lee Strobel, for a special Q and A on the
evidence surrounding the death and resurrection of Christ.
· Hosting Passion discussion groups in homes.
· Distribution of personal InviteCards to everyone in the congregation.
· Posting an 4'x 8' Passion Banner in front of the church inviting people to the movie and to hear Craig Blomberg speak.
The church has the goal of inviting 40,000 people to view the movie and to visit the church. The church is praying for 200 visitors
because of the Passion outreach and is praying that 20 new people will trust Christ as a result of the outreach.
OUTREACH TOOL PRODUCT FEATURE
What is an ImpactCard? An ImpactCard is an oversized postcard designed to invite people to your church or event. There are over 10
Passion-themed ImpactCard designs to choose from and many ways to use this versatile tool. Besides sending an ImpactCard as a direct
mail piece to your community, you can also use these cards as Sunday bulletin inserts, as flyers to hand out at local stores and
community centers, and as inserts in local newspapers or advertising circulars.
Each ImpactCard features:
· Full-color, 8.5" x 5.5" design
· Bright eye-catching graphics - many with images from the movie.
· Three ways to purchase - Custom, Personalized or Do It Yourself.
· Direct mail Bulk rate postage of only 6.3 cents per card
· A single card reaches an average of four people per household (10,000 ImpactCards invite 40,000 people.)
· Companion products, like door hangers, banners and bulletin shells are available for some designs.
· Small Group Study Series coming soon!
20 FREE PASSION SERMONS
Did you know that there are FREE Passion sermons available at written by Christian leaders including John Maxwell, Lee Strobel and
David Mains. Click on this link to access the sermons: http://wwwsermoncentral.com/newsletter_subscribe.asp
Copyright (c) 2003 Outreach, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright permission to make up to 100 copies of a newsletter or resource
article for free distribution is granted to Christian churches at no charge. The reprint must include the article in its entirety
with the following sentences: "Copyright by Outreach, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission. For more information, please
visit www.Outreach.com." Outreach Inc., 2560 Progress St., Vista, CA 92081, USA. 1-800-991-6011
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