For Easter 2020, our church will not be able to gather in-person as we normally do. Which is heartbreaking because COVID-19 has many people looking for hope and answers to life’s deepest questions. This, more than ever, is the time for the church to rise up and proclaim the message of the resurrection. But how can we do this when we are in lockdown?
We believe that this obstacle is actually an opportunity — an opportunity to share the gospel with far more people than we typically would on Easter and to empower each of you to be the primary messengers of that good news.
Imagine this….
We help you to share your testimony, then, on the week leading up to Easter, we all post our sixty-second videos, or written testimony posts on social media, with the hashtag #JesusChangedMyLife. People all over Durban and maybe the world, under lockdown in their homes and scrolling on their phones, would see a bunch of stories about how the resurrected Jesus brings purpose and meaning and hope.
And we’re not doing this alone. Churches all around the world are apart of this campaign, and will be sharing their stories and inviting people to Easter Sunday services too.
This Easter could be the most evangelistic day in History. And we could all be apart of it, sharing the Gospel, inviting people to Church, and pointing people to Jesus from our couches.
What’s Your Story?
We’ve all heard the gospel called good news. But another way to translate that term is “The Good Story.”
Every one of us has a unique story to tell. One that no one else can tell. Yet the hero in all those stories is the same — Jesus.
Click below for a story-sharing guide created to help you think about the shape of your personal story and how Jesus changed it.
3 Ways for You to take Part:
- Post a Testimony Video
- Write a Testimony Post
- Or share an Easter Invite via Social or Text
Post your story any time on 9 April with the #JesusChangedMyLife hashtag and our church’s social media handle, @harbourcitydbn, to connect people to our church and our Easter Services.
As they click on our handle, they will go to a page showing them more about us, and inviting them to an Easter Service on 12 April, where they will hear the gospel clearly preached, learn how to respond with faith, and find how to get connected with a local church.
Here are two example Testimonies:
Noksie’s Jesus Story:
Callum’s Jesus story:
Video Guide
Here are some best practices for filming yourself on your phone.
- Simple, clean backdrops are ideal – Avoid distracting backgrounds or crowed spaces.
- In natural light – Avoid backlighting. The main source of light should be facing you, not behind you.
- In artificial light – Avoid standing directly below an overhead light or anything else that creates hard shadows. Consider using a stand lamp several feet away for good indirect light.
- Shoot eye level – Shooting from above or below will make you seem diminished or imposing. Eye level communicates accessibility.
- Clean your camera – Make sure the lens of your selfie camera is clean before shooting.
- Shoot portrait – Align your phone vertically.
Lastly, we’re really excited to see how God could use our posts and invitations, and how this Easter Sunday, we could see many people hear about Jesus, and begin to follow Him. So, we want to spend a day praying into this.
Day of Prayer and Fasting:
On Thursday, 9 April, we are going to spend the day in fasting for our City, Country and the World. We want to use this day to connect with God personally, and to pray beyond ourselves for:
- Our World in the time of the Corona Virus.
- And the Easter weekend, and that many people would hear and respond to the Good News of Jesus.
Downloads:
Click for access to all of our #JesusChangedMyLife Resources.