"Jesus"

is coming to a mailbox near you in October.

Volunteers

for the the "Jesus" Video Project, headed by

Coweta County businessman Brant Frost, intend to mail the

story of Christ's life to every household in the county.

So far, $125,000 has been pledged to cover the costs of

copying and mailing the film. Similar efforts in Fayette

County have netted $75,000 in pledges, according to Mary

Frances Bowley, Fayette County's coordinator for the

video drive.

The group's

goal is to see every home in Georgia receive

"Jesus," an 83-minute video filmed in 1978-79

at more than 200 locations in the Holy Land.

"Coweta's leading the way inthe state of Georgia for

the `Jesus' video project," Frost said. The video is

available in 530 languages and has been in circulation in

230 countries and viewed by more than two billion people.

The

full-length film, based on the New Testament's Gospel

according to Luke, from which the video was taken, is a

Warner Brothers production done by John Heyman. Jesus is

played by Brian Deacon, a Shakespearean actor from

England.

The Campus

Crusade for Christ will run the address labels for the

mail-out, which is estimated to cost about $2.70 per

video. The difference between the money raised and the

actual price of mailing out 100,000 videos, to be

purchased together with Fayette and Meriweather counties,

will be covered by an anonymous donor, Bowley reported.

Campus

Crusade for Christ instigated the idea of sending out the

video in the U.S. based on its use as a powerful

conversion tool in foreign countries. Churches in Alabama

have completed their mailing, along with those in Texas

and Ohio.

Inside

every package is a response card that asks the recipient

to contact a church, or send in the card for more

information, if they have been "touched by the

comforting and encouraging words of Jesus."

While it is

difficult to document, project volunteers say that

millions of people have responded with professions of

faith to the message of hope contained in

"Jesus."

Bowley said

a phone number will be publicized as well, and phone

banks will follow up with calls to video recipients

asking them simply if they have watched it and what

reaction, if any, they had.

"This

is a gift," said Barry Odom of Braelinn Baptist

Church of Peachtree City, referring to the video. His

hope is the same as all the pastors and church volunteers

participating, to have the viewers "develop a

relationship with God."

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