Download the Jesus Video Project Membership Agreement Form here.

Download the Jesus Video Order Form here.

(These are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format, you may need to right-click and select to save target as...)

PRESS RELEASE

10th January 2002

CHURCH OF ENGLAND’S NATIONAL EVANGELISM ADVISOR HAILS JESUS VIDEO PROJECT AS “ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR CHURCHES IN THE UK”

The Revd Canon Robert Freeman, the Church of England’s National Advisor on Evangelism has declared the Jesus Video Project, whereby every home in Britain will be offered a free copy of the Jesus film, “As one of the most significant resources for local mission available to churches in the UK”.

Canon Freeman praises the Jesus Video Project for the way it permits churches to develop, “A creative and strategic programme”, that will “Bring the good news of Jesus to their whole community, at a reasonable cost”.

“Many current resources for evangelism [Alpha, The Y-Course and Christianity Explored] help develop existing contacts between Christians and their friends and colleagues. These methods of evangelism are good, but bypass many people who are unconnected with the Gospel. The Jesus Video Project helps a church to think-through its evangelism in the local community and discover those who may be interested to investigate further. It is therefore, a resource of immense practical importance.”

According to John Arkell, Director of the Jesus Video Project, “The UK Church approach to evangelism tends to lurch between two extremes. At one end of the scale, we imagine that if we can simply get the curious or sceptical to hear gospel concepts, we will see people respond. Others of us are happy to ignore gospel facts and imagine that if we can only attract people into our churches by the right kind of activities, they will soon become committed Christians.

“Neither of these views take into account that most people today have no contact with the Church and know little about the person of Jesus. Thirty years ago, the picture was different. We lived off the efforts of courageous Christians from a previous generation who had fought to keep the gospel story visible in society. Christianity was still being taught in our schools. But today you can no longer expect someone to know that a real person called Jesus was born in a grubby Bethlehem stable, performed miracles, claimed to be God, alienated the religion leaders of his time, died on a cross and rose from the dead.

“Faced with such ignorance the Church has slowly adjusted to the realisation that it takes much longer for someone to come to faith these days. That’s why courses like Alpha are so significant.

“However, whilst courses like this have done a tremendous amount of good, they are not the panacea. Like a farmer who has decided not to plough or plant seed any more, because he believes the harvest is all that matters, there is an even greater need for a long term commitment to the promulgation of the basic story [about Jesus] - deep into our communities.”

Media enquiries:

Allen Moxham
EA Media Consultancy
020 7207 2154
eamc@eauk.org

The Protection of Data

Background to the Data Protection Act 1984

The Data Protection Act 1984 was introduced as a result of the huge increase in the use of computers by even the smallest of businesses in the storage of informa-tion about customers and suppliers.

The Act regulates only the storage and retrieval of information in electronic format; any information stored on paper-based systems is explicitly exempt from the Act.

All businesses that hold information about individuals on computers must register that fact with a central register, along with details about why, when, how and by whom the data will be used. There are penalties for businesses that do not reg-ister, as well as for those who use the data in ways other than they have declared. They must then abide by a number of data protection principles to ensure the correct use of the information.

There are a number of provisions in the Act that give protection to anyone who might be the subject of personal information retained on computers. Some pro-visions relate to the conduct of the person maintaining the records, while a further main provision gives the individual about whom records are held the rights to inspect information held about him on computers, and to challenge its accuracy if he believes it to be incorrect. He may also claim compensation if the incorrect use or nature of the data has caused him loss.

Under the Act, the person who maintains the records has the following duties:

• The personal information must not be retained for longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it was originally obtained.
• The data must be obtained and used fairly, and in a lawful manner.
• The data must only be sufficiently adequate and relevant for the specific purpose of its use; it must not be excessive.
• The user must not disclose the information to anyone, or in any manner, not con-nected with the purpose for which the data is kept.
• The data must be accurate and up-to-date, and must be corrected if properly challenged by the individual.
• The individual must be given access to see any information relating to him (re-quests by individuals must not be made with unreasonable frequency). A small charge may be levied for this service.
• The data must be held securely, and in a way that is not easily accessible to any-one not authorised to handle or see such information.
• Data must be held only for a specific and lawful purpose, which must be stipu-lated in the registration of the user.

These principles must be upheld at all times, not only for compliance with the Act but also in the interests of ethical and fair dealing.

Source this section: K Popplewell, Financial Services and their Regulation, © The Chartered Insurance Institute, 1997

The Data Protection Act 1998

The Data Protection Act 1998 received Royal Assent on 16 July 1998 and came into force on 1 March 2000. The 1998 Act strengthens and extends the data protection regime created by the Data Protection Act 1984 that it replaces. In particu-lar it:

• restates the data protection principles (a sort of statutory code of data protection good practice);
• applies to certain structured manual records (which are not covered by the 1984 Act) as well as to computerised personal data;
• introduces conditions which must be satisfied if personal data are to be processed, with additional conditions for sensitive data (e.g. data about ethnic origin, health);
• strengthens individuals' existing rights and creates some new ones (e.g. new ex-press rights to be told who is processing your data and why; and to prevent personal data being used for direct marketing);
• brings within its scope existing subject access rights created by other legislation;
• renames the Data Protection Registrar as the Data Protection Commissioner and strengthens her powers;
• replaces registration with new arrangements for notifying the Commissioner;
• introduces new rules for the transfer of personal data to countries outside the EU.

The 1998 Act provides for certain matters to be dealt with in subordinate leg-islation. The 17 Statutory Instruments necessary for the new Act to be brought into force have now been passed by Parliament. They also came into force on 1 March 2000.

Excerpts from the 1998 Act:

17. - (1) Subject to the following provisions of this section, personal data must not be proc-essed unless an entry in respect of the data controller is included in the register maintained by the Commissioner under section 19 (or is treated by notification regulations made by virtue of section 19(3) as being so included).

21. - (1) If section 17(1) is contravened, the data controller is guilty of an offence.

55. - (1) A person must not knowingly or recklessly, without the consent of the data control-ler-
(a) obtain or disclose personal data or the information contained in personal data, or
(b) procure the disclosure to another person of the information contained in personal data.

SCHEDULE 1
PART I - - THE PRINCIPLES

2. Personal data shall be obtained only for one or more specified and lawful purposes, and shall not be further processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose or those pur-poses.

3. Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose or purposes for which they are processed.

4. Personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date.

5. Personal data processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes.

6. Personal data shall be processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects under this Act.

7. Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.

8. Personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the European Eco-nomic Area unless that country or territory ensures an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of data subjects in relation to the processing of personal data.

This section: Crown copyright 1998 with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office

David A Johnson
Agapé
25-1-01

JOEL-NEWS-INTERNATIONAL-353 * 20 FEBRUARY 2001 * WWW.JOELNEWS.ORG

MOSLEM LEADERS APPROVE JESUS FILM.

Moslem leaders at Cairo's respected Al Azhar university have examined the JESUS Film and reached the conclusion that it does not disparage Islam, so may be viewed by Moslems. Many Moslems have decided to follow Jesus after viewing the film, which is based on Luke's gospel.
(Source: Open Doors)