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"And if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto myself."
..............................................................~ Jesus of Nazareth

I had planned to write this newsletter on the theme of "Let's get people to the theatres so they can see Jesus lifted up." But that may already be happening beyond our wildest imaginations. Consider these efforts:

A church in Oakville bought 2500 tickets for 6 screenings and advertized that people in the communtiy could come to the theatre as their guest. On the first day they had 317 tickets requested. By 3pm of the second day 2217 were gone. Their leadership met and agreed to buy out another 3 screenings. They already report amazing conversations with their guests.

A retired BC business couple are partnering with local churches to fill 7 screenings at 3 Famous Players theatres - a total of 8400 seats. 21 churches are involved and approximately 2/3 of the audience will be non-Christians.

A small Catholic Church has rented a theatre for the "dark hours" of Saturday morning February 26th and has sold it out. Another Catholic Church who has Sunday Masses at 11am and 7pm have bought out a theatre for Sunday afternoon so that people can attend church then go see the movie, or see the movie and then go to church.

A Chinese businessman bought out a theatre for a sneak preview of the film for Monday February 23rd. That's today. His intent was to invite all of his Christian associates and challenge them to see the film for themselves, then invite their non-Christian friends to a future screening. He's also using it as a fund-raiser for our follow through strategy with www.TheLife.com.

And these are only a few of the stories we know about.

Media Buzz

A colleague from New York phoned me the morning after Mel Gibson's Passion piece aired on ABC. He said there were 17 million viewers that evening and every network was now scrambling to get something about Jesus on their networks as well. Isn't that great?

My heart rejoices when I think about how the person of Jesus and His death and resurrection have been the focus of media attention in our country the past month, and I think it will intensify in the days ahead.

Here in Canada, we have been or will be on CTV News, CBC Newsworld, CTV Network News, 100 Huntley Street and several Ontario programs that may get picked up in other regions. Articles have appeared in The Toronto Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The Vancouver Sun and The Montreal Gazzette. And I know of at least 8 radio talk shows that have aired on The Passion Initiative in the past few weeks.

Focus on the Family's February newsletter had a major emphasis on The Passion of the Christ and today Dr. Dobson used his program to interview Mel Gibson regarding the making of the film. Gibson may appear unannounced on any number of programs, but one to look out for is The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Thursday February 26th.


Good News From Mel Gibson

The Mel Gibson interview with Diane Sawyer turned out to be a wonderful piece for the film, but also a wonderful testimony for the power of God in a person's life.

We are holding training sessions across the country, where part of the training is on how to prepare and share your testimony, and transition to sharing the gospel. Did you hear Mel Gibson's testimony in the interview? I would paraphrase it like this:

"I had everything success in Hollywood brings and tried everything money can buy. But nothing satisfied. I was an addict. I thought about suicide. I called out to God for help and He heard me. I have meditated on the gospels, especially the suffering and death of Jesus, and it has changed my life. Now I have made this film because I want everyone to know the enormity of His sacrifice, and that their sins can be forgiven through Jesus."

There are still a few trainings going on in some areas, and some training material is available online. Click on the links for details on training events going on in your area and to order training materials online.

Meanwhile, www.TheLife.com continues to expand its content and its impact. The traffic to the site has averaged 3,300/day over the last 10 days with a high of 4,350 visitors last Saturday. Be sure to go to the site to get your own questions answered and to prepare for conversations with seekers after the movie.

A Final Word

It is important that we get out to the theatres in support of this movie to send a message to Hollywood and our secular society. It is important that we prepare ourselves for the many opportunities this film will bring to engage people in conversation. It is important that we see this film with hearts open to what God wants to do in our own lives.

And ultimately, it is most important that we lift up Jesus. Because He said "when I am lifted up, I will draw all men to myself."

Thanks,

Bob

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