USA (MNN) — The 239th Battalion at Fort Jackson Army Training Center in South Carolina is going through basic training of a spiritual kind.
An army chaplain volunteer is using the JESUS Film as part of "God's Basic Training," a Bible-based curriculum. The move stemmed from a Sunday School class that Frank Bussey (Campus Crusade for Christ's Military Ministry) was leading for the battalion. Between 50 and 250 recruits attend his class each week.
According to the JESUS Film Project, Bussey decided that the JESUS film would be a good tool to show the soldiers a visual overview of Christ's life. During the fifth or sixth week of basic training they have more free time, so he schedules a DVD screening of "JESUS: Fact or Fiction?" on a Sunday afternoon. Then he hangs posters advertising the free movie and invites recruits throughout the battalion to attend. This is done on a volunteer basis.
At the end of each showing, he asks anyone who made a commitment to Christ to fill out a card. Bussey later gives these cards to the chaplain of the battalion. He also offers Four Spiritual Laws booklets for each one to take.
Between 200 and 300 soldiers attend each showing, and an average of 20 to 30 indicate their trust in Christ. There are about five JESUS Film showings a year, so each cycle of recruits has a chance to watch it. Pray for the discipleship of these new believers.
