Acts 8’s Easter Gift

Adapted from an Acts 8 press release

The Acts 8 Movement has released a one-minute video that invites viewers to celebrate the love of God this Easter by worshiping in an Episcopal church. “Nothing, not even death, can stop God’s love,” Presiding Bishop Michael Curry says as the video opens.

Acts 8 invites congregations in the Episcopal Church to use the video on their websites or social media as part of a digital evangelism strategy.

Thanks to a large group of volunteers from across the church, the group launched the video in eight of the languages in which Episcopalians worship: English, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Dinka, Filipino (Tagalog and Ilocano), French, Korean, and Spanish.

“Hearing the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection in the mother tongues of people across our church shows the breadth of the Episcopal Church while demonstrating the depth of the faith we hold in common,” said the Rev. Canon Frank Logue, the video’s editor.

All of the versions (except Dinka) include subtitles.

The videos’ download page offers information on creating a low cost Facebook ad. Thee videos are provided to the church at no cost to foster digital evangelism. All participants in the project donated their time.

This Easter video follows a similar project for Christmas and Ash Wednesday. Evidence indicates that churches that invited people to their Ash Wednesday and Christmas services using the Acts 8 Movement video saw an increase in worshipers.

“The response was amazing,” said Sue VanOss of St. Paul’s Church in Duluth, Minnesota, which promoted the video on Facebook. “At the noon Ash Wednesday service 24 people attended, four of which were new faces, all young adults; at the 5:30 p.m. service, 58 people attended, eight of which were new faces.”

Results varied by congregation and the various responses will not all track to advertising alone. To better understand how the church can use these videos more effectively, the Rev. Nurya Love Parish surveyed churches that used the Ash Wednesday video.

The Acts 8 Movement is a volunteer group of lay and clergy Episcopalians whose mission is to proclaim resurrection in the Episcopal Church. The group formed at General Convention in 2012 and has been active in carrying out its mission by providing resources, hosting vital conversations, and encouraging transformational change leadership within the church.

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