Congregations reach out with WELS movie
On Sept. 13, more than 200 people attended a community movie night featuring Come Follow Me sponsored by St. Peter, St. Albert, Alberta, Canada. This was the congregation’s fourth annual outdoor, drive-in style movie event.
Mr. Dave Stuht, staff minister at St. Peter, says, “Come Follow Me is an excellent movie because it is short and sweet but it gives community members the answers they will need when dealing with guilt, reminding them that Jesus forgave Peter and he forgave you and me.”
Come Follow Me was released in fall 2013 and is the winner of awards at three Christian film festivals this year. It is the second in a series of four outreach movies that are a collaboration between WELS Commissions on Evangelism and Adult Discipleship; Northwestern Publishing House; WELS Multi-Language Publications; and Boettcher+Trinklein Television, Inc. Road to Emmaus, the first film in the series, outlines God’s plan of salvation.
St. Peter has shown snippets from Road to Emmaus during previous years’ movie events. This year, though, “we wanted to be bold like an eagle!” says Stuht.
Other WELS congregations are also using Road to Emmaus and Come Follow Me as ways to reach out to their communities. St. Paul, Menomonie, Wis., has rented an area theater and is planning an outreach effort for its community on Sept. 18. After viewing Come Follow Me, audience members will have a chance to talk via Skype with the movie’s director and producer, Mr. Steve Boettcher.
Good Shepherd’s, West Allis, Wis., has purchased 2,000 DVDs of Road to Emmaus and 1,200 DVDs of Come Follow Me. Mr. Mark Bergemann, a member of Good Shepherd’s, explains that most of these DVDs have already been given away to new residents in the congregation’s neighborhood; neighbors attending the annual block party; parents of children attending vacation Bible school; and at other outreach events, such as this summer’s community festival in which Good Shepherd’s distributed more than 400 DVDs.
Good Shepherd’s also offers DVDs of Road to Emmaus and Come Follow Me for free on its Web site. After Good Shepherd’s sent DVDs of both films to Buenos Aires, Argentina, it received word back that they were a real blessing.
As Bergemann notes, “These films give a clear gospel message.”
Congregations can order copies of the movie in bulk for members and prospects for only $2 per copy at www.comefollowmemovie.com. Individual copies are available for $14.50 through Northwestern Publishing House at www.nph.net or 800-662-6022. The movie also serves as the 2013-14 Walking Together emphasis.
To learn more, visit www.wels.net/comefollowme.
