Popcorn and Jesus — it's a combination churches in Ohio and other states hope will bring families to watch a video about the teachings and message of the Gospel.

        Mass mailings have put the video in more than 1.1 million homes in Ohio alone during the past two years, said Cyndye Harmon, state coordinator of the Regional Jesus Video Project. Many churches are timing mailings with the arrival of the Holy Week and Easter.

Cyndye Harmon has helped put the videotape “Jesus” in more than 1.1 million Ohio homes in the last two years. (Associated Press photo) | ZOOM |

        Some send parishioners door to door with the videos and microwave popcorn — hoping families make a night of it.

        “We want people to know who Jesus is,” Ms. Harmon said. “Christianity is a major force. It's not unreasonable that everybody should know who Jesus is.”

        The video has been distributed to more than 11 million homes across the United States mostly through mailings, according to Florida-based Campus Crusade for Christ, leading the project.

        Campus Crusade is one of the largest nonprofit, interdenominational organizations in the world with more than 60 ministries in 186 countries.

        The Jesus Video Project of Texas is trying to raise $21 million to send the movie to each of Ohio's 8.4 million homes.

        Three years ago, more than 1.3 million copies were mailed in Alabama. More than 600,000 were mailed last year in central Florida.

        Not all are happy when the videos arrive.

        Rabbis and Jewish leaders in Palm Beach County, Fla., urged congregations to mark the videos: “return to sender.” Some tied bricks to the tapes to increase the return shipping charges.

        “A number of people found it offensive and presumptuous,” said Michael Rapp, director of Cincinnati's Jewish Community Relations Council. “I would guess most of the people just chucked it.”

        Mr. Rapp said he doubted the video would bring someone to accept Christianity.

        “Is this going to trigger a religious conversion? If it does, those people are already there anyway.”

        The 83-minute video is an edited version of the film Jesus, released to theaters by Warner Brothers in 1979. The movie originally was sent with missionaries when they preached the Gospel around the world.

        It recounts the life, teachings and message of Jesus, the script taken from the Gospel of Luke. At the end, viewers are invited to pray to become Christian.

        Ms. Harmon said she doesn't understand the criticism.

        “We're not trying to offend anyone or hurt anyone's feelings,” she said. “That's not the point at all. “We feel like that even for a historical viewpoint, it's worth watching.”

        About 100,000 videos were being mailed this year in time for Easter to homes in counties that include Allen, Ashtabula, Fairfield, Mercer and Shelby, she said.

        Money for the videos comes from churches and their members. There are about 400 churches in the Dayton area alone that are involved, Ms. Harmon said. Denominations include Baptists, Roman Catholics, Methodists and Assembly of God.

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