Jesus. All about life is a four to six week prime-time media campaign that uses television advertising, supported by radio and print advertising to raise the profile of Jesus and Christian faith. The key message is that Jesus is 'all about life'. The campaign has already run in Adelaide (August, 2005); Canberra/ACT (March/April, 2006) and Tasmania (September/October, 2007).
"Bible Society NSW, one of the oldest not-for-profit and Christian organisations in NSW, has been behind the development of the project since 2003," said CEO, Daniel Willis . "We were founded in 1817 and ever since, we have had a passion for the distribution of the Bible," he said. "However in a post-modern society, we need to use new methods to encourage people to engage with what the Bible says and the Jesus. All about life campaign has proven itself already in Adelaide , Canberra and Tasmania ," he said.
"For the Jesus. All about life campaign to be effective, we will need to buy prime-time media advertising," said JAAL Director and Bible Society NSW Communication Manager, Martin Johnson. "In the previous three areas where the campaign has run, local committees have raised over $500,000, mainly from private donations, to buy the advertising time and fund the local organising committees," he said.
"We want the churches to support the campaign by running local events in their area," said JAAL Co-Director, Rev Karl Faase. "We have found this is the key to the success of Jesus. All about life and we're looking for over 3,000 Sydney churches to hang out their own JAAL signs and banners," Faase said. "In Tasmania , over eighty percent of Tasmanian churches got behind Jesus. All about life – the highest number ever," he said.
Before the Adelaide campaign, Bible Society NSW commissioned research using Melbourne companies Future Brand and Quantum Research. "The research was key to creating the campaign and working out what the core message of the advertising was going to be," said Johnson.
The Jesus. All about life campaign has been included in plans announced recently by the Sydney Anglican Diocese for their 'Connect' project – 'a major evangelistic initiative in 2009'. Anglican Archbishop, Peter Jensen said his Mission Board was, 'supportive of the [JAAL] campaign … and would be happy to recommend to our churches that they be involved as they see fit.'
The NSW Council of Churches said they "endorse and support the JAAL Sydney 2009 program and encourage the Churches to participate in it."
The campaign is expected to run for six weeks during August and September, 2009.
Other denominational support has come from the Baptist Churches of NSW, Churches of Christ, the Salvation Army, the Presbyterian Church and Congregational Churches, Hillsong and Wesley Mission, Sydney .
Background to the campaign, plus reports from Adelaide and Canberra together with the 60 second ads are available at: www.jesusallaboutlife.com.au