On #GivingTuesday this year we offered an opportunity for SMI members to come alongside the Jesus Film Project (JFP) to help reach parts of South Asia with the Gospel. As we noted, hundreds of millions in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives have not heard the gospel, even once.
Well, you came through with a wonderful response. According to our friends at the JFP, 40 SMI members collectively gave nearly $15,000! As in years past, generous SMI members learned of a need and wanted to be part of the solution. And this year, SMI Advisory Services (SMIAS) — the separate, but affiliated, business that manages the SMI mutual funds and SMI Private Client — matched those gifts. That means together we raised nearly $30,000 to advance the Gospel.
The money will be used to equip Jesus Film Project teams with the tools they need to bring the Jesus Film to even the most remote parts of South Asia, plant new churches, and disciple new believers. That equipment includes backpack kits, with a small, highly portable solar-powered projector, speakers, and screen for large group presentations as well as solar-powered video tablet/speaker sets for small groups.
When you consider that one backpack kit costs $3,240 and one tablet set costs $570, the amount contributed by SMI members this year, along with the doubling impact of the SMIAS match, is enough to purchase 6 backpack kits and 18 tablet sets. Each Jesus Film Project team that is equipped with a backpack kit will show the Jesus film at least 50 times a year (some show it up to 100 times each year). The tablet sets will be used for follow-up discipleship.
If each showing includes 100 participants (some draw as many as 200), that means an estimated 30,000 people per year will be reached with the Gospel through your generous contributions (6 backpack kits x 50 showings per year x 100 people at each showing).
We’re grateful for the work being done by the Jesus Film Project, and we’re grateful to you for your role in helping to make this work possible.
