Twenty-three of the 26 pastors they approached--of all denominations--attended a meeting to plan the showing, despite busy schedules, exhausting work on their own farms, and long distances to walk.

The two MCC workers--Rebecca Kurtz and Margaret De Jong--had learned that the Haitian-American Friendship Foundation, an MCC friend in the region, had recently acquired a projector and other equipment needed to show films to large groups. Their technicians were available to come and operate the equipment if area pastors organized the event.

The pastors' enthusiasm was conveyed to their flocks. Some 800 to 1,000 people crammed into the Roman Catholic church in Bwadlorens--the largest building in the area--to view the film on March 23.

"Jesus" is a straightforward, non-Hollywoodish presentation of Jesus' life, an almost verbatim retelling from the New International Version of the Bible, says Dan Wiens, MCC Haiti director. It has been translated into dozens of languages, and has been available in Haitian Creole for a couple of years. MCC workers in several African countries have helped organize this film's viewing in their communities as well.

For many in the Haitian audience, says Wiens, especially the children and the elderly, this was likely the first time they had seen a film. The Bwadlorens area does not yet have electricity or television service.

MCC worker Kurtz reports that pastors are noting that people who saw the film are asking new questions about their personal faith. The event seems to have created a new interest in the life of Christ within the community, she says.

Rebecca Kurtz is most recently of West Chester, Pa., where she is a member of Cornerstone Christian Fellowship. Margaret De Jong is from Fredericton, New Brunswick, where she is a member of Skyline Acres United Baptist Church. Dan Wiens, of St. Adolphe, Man., is a member of Niverville (Man.) MB Church.

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