[Acts 8 Movement press release] A new minute-long cartoon made for Episcopal churches encourages viewers to see faith in Jesus as a great adventure to which they are invited. Any congregation in the Episcopal Church can use the video created by the Acts 8 Movement on websites or social media as part of a digital evangelism strategy to share good news and to invite people to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The video begins with a woman jetpacking across the universe as the voiceover asks, “If you received an invitation for the most amazing ride in the universe, would you get on?” The Rev. Adam Trambley of Sharon, Pennsylvania, says that in writing the script, he asked himself, “What the resurrection of Jesus Christ might mean for people who aren’t already in church. What would actually be different for them if the accepted Jesus’ invitation to follow him?”

In considering the images possible using a cartoon, he added, “ I also wanted a script that would be fun and communicate both the joy and the WOW nature of the resurrection.  Turning my life into a meaningful adventure, facing down fears, and reconciling with people are all things that have occurred in my own life as part of my experience of the resurrection of Jesus, and I wanted to share them.”

His daughter Julia provides the voice for the cartoon.

The videos are available for free download here. 

These videos are provided to the church at no cost to foster digital evangelism. All participating in this project donated their time to this effort. This Easter video follows on the heels of similar projects released periodically since Advent 2015. For Lent, the group offered a cartoon about Lent, which was posted at many church and diocesan sites. The cartoon generated more than 30,000 views for the Acts 8 site’s video alone.

Anecdotal evidence indicates that many churches who invited people to their services using the Acts 8 Movement video saw an increase in worshippers. Results varied by congregation and the various responses will not all track to advertising alone as congregations using the video may also be better about making a personal invitation to their neighbors which is the best-proven method for attracting visitors.

The Diocese of Central New York made the Christmas video part of a diocesan invitation strategy. In response to that diocese’s suggestion, an animated GIF file is also offered by Acts 8 for those who wish to advertise on Facebook using a graphic rather than the 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 since then has been active in carrying out its mission by providing resources, hosting vital conversations, and encouraging transformational change leadership within our church.