It is with great joy and long standing patience I can finally celebrate the launch of a striking strategic initiative to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ right into the living rooms of the people living throughout Southeast Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Millions, yes Millions, will be confronted with the truths of the Bible on a daily basis with all the quality network TV demands -- if the local church is willing to step up to the plate.

Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Robert (Bob) Jacobus, and I joined over 40 media and marketing professionals to launch a new ministry to serve the local church and evangelize the whole region called Mission Media Ministries. Formerly of NBC10 in Philadelphia, I plan to take the experiences of secular television and fashion a media campaign of print ads, billboards, radio spots, and 30 - 60 second television spots articulating, promoting, and defending the Christian faith - exalting Jesus Christ as Lord. Understand this, the quality of this media campaign will be unlike any other Church initiative in the history of Philadelphia television. Solid ideas, high-end filming and editing, and persuasive themes. Yet, you are probably thinking, "How do we pay for all of this?!?"

Here’s the strategy:

Unity

As individuals standing alone, we would be overwhelmed with the costs of running a media campaign that really reaches people with a sustained presence on TV or in print. Together we can invade the market.

We will essentially be forming an association, "The Christian Churches Association", to develop a media pool of resources. Over 100 churches in the association contribute, depending on size and budget, on average $100 - $600 per month to allow Mission Media to purchase prime advertising slots on Network Television and produce high quality commercials.

Resources

A mere two hundred evangelical churches out of the thousands in the Delaware and Lehigh Valleys contributing $200 a month (just like supporting a missionary) will empower the Church with $40,000 per month to shape our culture and win back the hearts and minds we have lost in the battle of ideas and culture. Enough to buy over 100 commercials a month in significant time slots!

Evangelism AND Discipleship!

Better yet! The project does not end there. Each commercial will have a toll free phone number (1-877-OUR-HOPE) for the Church Referral Network. Viewers can call and be referred to a local "association" church based on their ZIP code where the process of evangelism and discipleship can be completed in the God ordained crucible of the local body of believers.

Mission Media Ministries is not alone. In a miraculous move of God, unbeknownst to me in all these years of planning, another young man on the other side of the country was pursuing the same vision for using the secular media for Christ in Boise, Idaho. Employing the skills God gave him, Michael Boerner has already launched a similar Mission Media uniting local churches and producing a number of commercials we will use as a spring board to launch here. Rather than re-invent the wheel, we have developed a direct relationship with Michael, accelerating our schedule by at least a year, learning from his mistakes, gleaning from his successes. In God’s providence, we both labored apart until such time as our uniting would reap a tremendous harvest!

Our Accountability:

Mission Media Ministries strictly adheres to a doctrinal statement focusing on the major and fundamental tenets of the historic and orthodox Christian faith avoiding disputable matters. Already, multiple denominations have joined together destroying old walls of separation in Boise, ID. As a result, these churches are now uniting in other works of service as an outgrowth of Mission Media in Idaho.

Mission Media Ministries will be directly accountable to the its board of directors under the leadership of Chairman Chris Brewer, but must appropriately accountable to the local churches we serve.  Churches make up the association and vote by their contributions. If a Church does not think we are effectively communicating the Gospel, then support goes elsewhere. Our ministry flourishes based on a mutual commitment: The local church to impacting the culture and Mission Media to strategically using donated resources to dramatically achieve that goal into the 21st century.

Yet, asking more than just money from churches, in the future we hope as well to develop a Pastors Advisory Board which will provide insight, strategy, and leadership as we attempt to win the diverse people groups of the Delaware and Lehigh Valleys to Jesus Christ.

Please join us as we cast a modern net being fishermen in the 21^st Century reaping the greatest harvest of all time! We look forward to serving you and serving the local church.

In His service and yours,

Robert D. Jacobus, Director

E-mail:  jacobus@877ourhope.org