Karolina and Monika, from Krakow, Poland, have spent a lot of time this last month at their local cinema. Recently baptised teenage twins, you will find them there, dressed in World-War II look-alike T-shirts similar to the uniform Desmond Doss would have worn. On the back is written, “Desmond Doss saved 75. Jesus saved all. I’m an Adventist like Desmond Doss – ask me more.”
@bill1 @Victor_H
Congratulations, Victor, the Trans-European Division and the Polish Union!!
Yes Billman! I have heard that the movie is in Korea! The Polish PR campaign seems very polished (excuse the pun). I welcome that!!
Meanwhile, closer to home in Australia, people have been seeking to use the PR opportunities the movie presents. Here is some of what we have been doing in Australia.
An amazing website: FaithofDoss.com has been created by a team of Australian church administrators, personal ministries specialists and media specialists. it contains movie reviews, in both video and wriiten formats, media interviews with the movie operatives, succinct articles done very sensitively about the faith of Desmond Doss plus a series of webinars about the faith of Des Doss, an online challenge concerning the faith of Doss and a Free offer of the book Hero of Hacksaw Ridge, the official authorized and abridged story of Desmond Doss by Booton Herndon published by Remnant Publications. This book is also widely available in Australia. This is an absolutely superb website for all things Doss.
It is Written Oceania with Gary Kent as Speaker/ Director has also put together a mini-series on Desmond Doss and his faith. These are available on YouTube. Gary Kent & John Bradshaw co-authored a booklet, The Faith of Desmond Doss: Hero of Hacksaw Ridge. This booklet is also being widely distributed in Australia via Signs Publishing, the official publisher of the South Pacific Division.
The Adventist Media Network Discovery Centre have put together a new booklet series [correspondence course] in both print on online formats. It is titled “Faith of Doss.Com.” This links in with the website by the same name. Thousands of Letterbox Cards advertising this are available free of charge to interested churches.
At least two churches in Australia have hired local cinemas for a free movie screening of “Hacksaw Ridge.” Wantirna church in Melbourne, and my home church on the Gold Coast, Queensland. At the local screening of the movie, patrons were presented with the booklet “The Faith of Desmond Doss” with postcard advertising of a follow up seminar held in a local community centre about 4 days after the screening of the movie.
Yours truly presented this “Hero of Hacksaw Ridge” Seminar which sought to explore the motivations and faith of Desmond Doss. My Seminar came in 4 segments on the Sabbath afternoon.
Episode 3 of the It is Written trilogy titled “The Faith of Desmond Doss.” This is an interview by John Bradshaw of Les Speer, pastor and friend of Doss!
Powerpoint Presentation: “Freedom is For Choosing: The twin freedoms of conscience and worship.” Participants were invited to cherish freedom of conscience as a divine gift, and to choose to worship Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath.[A short 30 minute presentation].
A short worship experience provided a time to experience what the Sabbath is about through 10 minutes of meditation and military hymns.
Powerpoint Presentation: "War and Peace."
i) The Original Universal 'War of the Worlds"
ii) Peace Through Knowing the Peacemaker.
iii) The Signs of the End of War
iv) The Coming of the Peacemaker. [A Short 30 Minute Presentation].
These girls are doing what every Adventist should be doing. Meeting people where they are. Taking advantage of an opportunity that very rarely comes along. I’ve been to see the movie three times and gave out the book “Hero of Hacksaw Ridge” at all three showings. At the last showing I attended a woman who sat next to me was visibly in tears at the end of the movie. I told her that I was a Seventh-day Adventist like Desmond Doss was and asked if she’d like a copy of the book that talked further about what he believed. She seemed very appreciative that I offered it to her and thanked me for it. I saw another young man exiting the theater and asked him if liked the movie. He said that he did. When I told him that I was a Seventh-day Adventist like Desmond Doss was he told me that his grandmother had been a Seventh-day Adventist when he was growing up in Columbia. I asked him if he’d been to an Adventist church since he came to America and he said no. I told him where the Adventist churches were in his area and invited him to attend one (one was the one I attend). There are people out there just waiting for us to share the Gospel with them. We just have to go where they are. Substitute the word “novels” with “movies” in the following SOP quote and you’ll get what I mean.
“And so I say that I think we shall be negligent to our duty if we are satisfied with simply the regular subscription-book business, with the work that is being done by our colporteurs, through our tract societies, or by even reaching the better class of the book trade; but we want these cheaper books, the paper-covered books, that will go onto the news stands by the side of the novels, to be found there; for so many, many people feed upon novels, and novels only. I suppose that a very large proportion of the people never read a bound book; but they buy novels, magazines, and newspapers. And so we must meet the people where they are, and have something that will reach all classes of people.” April 16, 1901 N/A, GCB 257.3
Anyone think the enthusiasm to invite to churches is the same in America where WO and presidential election choices have the denomination at about the 50% discord level?