Using Media
The Mobile Ministry Forum (MMF) is a coalition of ministries working towards the goal of giving every unreached person a chance to encounter Christ and His kingdom in a compelling, contextualized fashion through their personal mobile device by 2020.
On the MMF website you can find reports and presentations from the Mobile Ministry Forums of recent years, as well as a blog and mobile best practices. [more...]
Mobile Advance's mission and vision is connecting the unreached with the good news and church of Jesus Christ through the device that connects them with the world- the mobile phone.
At their website you will find:
- Resources to help you to get started and advance in mobile phone empowered ministry;
- Research, reviews, case studies and strategy papers that will help you and the Church to advance into new, more powerful realms of mobile phone outreach;
- A community of like-minded “world Christians” who are using the mobile phone to help bring the gospel to their neighbors and friends. Some of these people have faced the same issues you are facing and have answers you need. Others may be facing barriers you can help them overcome.
An exciting growth area for Scripture Engagement practitioners is working out how mobile phones can be used around the world to encourage the use of the Scriptures.
This 5-minute video presents an introduction to the possibilities of mobile ministry: [more...]
The Jesus Film Media app is now available (currently in beta) for iPhone, iPad, Android smartphones and tablets.
It features the films JESUS, Magdalena, Story of Jesus for Children in full length and segments; the series Following Jesus and Walking with Jesus and catalog of short films like My Last Day.
Users have the ability to find resources by country, language name, theme and title of the film. Languages are being added, with the aim that users will have free access to films in over 1,100 languages. [more...]
"I realised that no translation was worth anything if my children didn't read it on their own because they wanted to. The burning question for me as a parent was how do I get my children into the word of God so that the word of God would get into them? As a professional illustrator the answer became obvious."
The Illustrated Bible - containing the historical books of the Old and New Testaments - is available in two formats: as illustrated pages and as video. Each Bible story selection contains the full Bible text with accompanying images.
The videos are made from the still images, with the camera moving over the illustrations, zooming in and out, and panning across. The images are realistic rather than using a cartoon style.
There are several free Bible stories and video clips to view online or download, as well as others to purchase. Translation and dubbing is possible into other languages. [more...]
Blind and partially sighted people who cannot read standard print may use one or more accessible formats to read the Bible. Their choice may depend on the degree of sight loss, whether they are at home or in public, the amount of storage space available, how much they have to read and whether they are comfortable operating modern electronic equipment.
Torch provides an online listing of Bibles in accessible media available from a range of organisations. These include: audio, braille, e-reader, large print and online resources. [more...]
Updated for Audacity 2.0 (July 2012).
Are you looking to record audio Scripture, radio programmes, Scripture-based songs, Bible study discussions or publicity for Scripture products? One of the most popular programs for recording audio on your computer is Audacity. It is free to download and use, and its user interface is available in several major languages.
This Audacity manual (a downloadable PDF document) is designed for beginners and can be used individually or in training workshops. It will show you how to:
- install Audacity on your computer, connect a microphone and begin recording;
- edit audio tracks, cut out errors, change the volume of selected sections;
- export audio to WAV and MP3 formats;
- mix audio tracks together, add background music;
- apply advanced effects like noise reduction.
The Story Teller from MegaVoice is the most affordable of all the pocket-sized solar-powered audio players available at the moment. It’s also one of the most lightest and simple to use, with a single 4-way button. Sound quality is excellent as is battery life, and the volume is impressive for a pocket-sized player. Files can be copied onto it using a proprietary USB cable and MegaVoice software.
As its name indicates, the Story Teller is ideal for containing audio stories or any other Scripture content when you have less than 10 hours to distribute. It is not designed for whole New Testaments or situations where you want to arrange audio files in hierarchies of books and chapters.
Download the PDF file below for the full review. [more...]
"Not only do billions around the world now have access to the Bible online, and not only are many of them actually reading it, they're also actively engaging with the Word of God—and with one another in far flung virtual communities across the planet.
With these trends, the vocabulary of Bible dissemination is changing. For centuries, the buzzword was distribution, with a focus on quantity delivered. The new buzzword is engagement."
In this Christianity Today article, Robert Crosby examines Scripture engagement in the online world of smartphones, tablets and Facebook.
He points to four principles we can learn from online engagement:
Initiative: "Those who start simply, and simply start, rule the new roads."
Responsiveness: "The pulse of online Bible engagement is rapid response and connections."
Frequency: "To try repeatedly is vital in engaging people with Scripture online."
Saturation: "...a constant awareness of reaching broadly—that a small impact on one soul has the potential of reaching thousands more in a short span of time." [more...]
The JESUS Film Project is developing a Digital Media app to make all of the JESUS films and related videos (Magdalena, Children's version, short films, discipleship films, etc.) in all languages available via smartphone and tablet apps.
"As revolutionary as Bill Bright’s original vision was to reach the world through the university campus, so the new Digital Media app could have just as much potential to transform the world. Tens of millions of people in closed nations will be able to see and hear the gospel on their smartphones or video tablets in their heart language─no matter where they live or how dangerous it may be for Christians there. And people can link anyone to the app through Facebook, a blog or a Tweet with Twitter."
You can find more details and an introductory video on the JESUS Film website. [more...]