DESPITE almost touching 80 years, Reverend Dr. C. D.Jebasingh preaches the Gospel through films with youthful vigour. Rev. Jebasingh, founder and president of Galilean International Film and Television Service, in an exclusive interview to THE CHRISTIAN MESSENGER spoke on how faith-oriented films can be an excellent way to motivate more people to follow Lord Jesus Christ. Excerpts from the interview:

What’s behind the name ‘Galilean Ministries’? What motivated you to name it as  ‘Galilean Ministries’?

The full name is Galilean International Film and Television Service. Galilean International Ministries is the abbreviated name. The word ‘international’ represents the outreach of the Gospel through the Indian diaspora.  Jesus was a man from Galilee, therefore the name Galilean to this organization.

Tell us something about the people who have been involved with you in starting the ministry. Are they all with you now?

I was an airline executive with Air India when it started. A trust needs a minimum of seven members on its Board of Directors to commence operations. Seven of us contributed Rs 1,000 each and started a bank account in Mumbai. They all came from diverse professions representing various denominational churches and from different language regions of the country. Three of them have gone to be with the Lord. Two others have retired from active work. The other one has branched out into an educational enterprise. The constitution of the trust provides for replacements for vacancies carefully chosen from the marketplace.

Galilean Ministries has been there over 30 years. How has the ministry evolved over the years?

India is a visually literate country, thanks to the impact of films since the early 1900s.  Our people love stories as India's culture has a rich heritage of story telling.  The compulsion to communicate the Gospel through stories as Jesus did through parables was the motivation to start the ministry. The need to produce full-length feature films for the secular marketplace was a challenge. Paucity of funds and other constraints made progress slow.

Nevertheless, keeping the goals of the ministry intact other means of accomplishing them was found. A month long audio-visual workshop with super-8 cameras was launched in 1979 to groom talented Christians to pursue gospel film making as a career. Many missions’ agencies too sent their candidates. It developed into an institute that trained people in video production including script/screenplay writing.

Secondly, efforts were streamlined to procure 16mm films made overseas and train film evangelists to use them through language commentaries as they were in English. Funds were raised to buy projectors and evangelists were deployed at Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Thiruvananthapuram.

The video revolution in 1980s replaced films with videos and VCRs.  With all films, videos and their projection equipment becoming obsolete in the new millennium, VCDs and DVDs are now used. A model ‘Visual Media Communications Center’ with film products and equipment is put in place for churches, missions’ agencies and Christian agencies to build similar efforts all over the country.

How did you hold on to your job and still do your work for God?

Despite being a pastor’s son I didn’t have a personal commitment to the Lord. In 1966, when I was 36 years old, I made it. I used to smoke three packets (60 cigarettes) of ‘Panama’ everyday.  My father was praying about this matter. The day he passed away after testifying to the doctors, who treated him that he is going to be with the Lord, I quit that habit abruptly remorseful of his death. Health hazards followed leading to a serious crisis in life. My conversion led me to digest God’s Word, the Bible. With that came the burden to preach the Gospel. For about 10 years I associated myself with the ministries of the Gideon’s International, Church Growth Movement, Asia Evangelistic Fellowship, YMCA and several programs of Christ Church and its diocesan participation. I was much in prayer that the Lord should lead me to a niche ministry where my gifts and talents are fully utilized. 

How did you come to choose films and TV as a medium to spread the gospel? What was the inspiration?

As a youngster all my evenings were spent with friends at cinema houses. At the university, I would win awards for the best actor and best singer. I was an artiste in All India Radio. I always had a fascination for films. One afternoon in January1974 Rev. Bronnel Greer of the Nazarene church in Akola, Maharastra walked into my cabin of Air India’s flight handling operations at the Bombay international airport. Bronnel  informed me that Rev. Paul Morris of the Christian and Missionary alliance (a very close missions’ associate of mine) sent him to get help to release five titles of 16mm films produced by Cathedral Films on the life of Jesus Christ that were detained at the Bombay Customs for over three years. The films were brought for use of the Nazarene Church in India. Circumventing all laborious procedures, they were released the same afternoon on payment of a token duty. It was a miracle! In gratitude, Rev. Geer allowed me to use the films at Christ Church Byculla, Bombay, where I worshiped. 

I noticed that the scenes of the sufferings of Jesus Christ and the crucifixion moved the audience to tears.

This impacted me profoundly and the memories of my addiction to films as an actor and musician in my youth rushed to my mind. The merits of using such a powerful medium for the cause of the Gospel compelled me to take steps in that direction.

India is supposed to be a secular country but why is the number of Christian programmes on  Doordarshan and the private TV channels so few and far between?

Television came to India in 1956 and broadcasting of films and serials much after that. Films ruled the roost and still do. The norms of Film Censorship have clauses that a film should not say that one religion is better than the other.

I recall that a film titled, “Journey to the skies”, on the life of Sadhu Sunder Singh passed the censors after the statement of Jesus “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” was removed from the script. A major hurdle therefore is that the Church at large cannot compromise on the communication of the core Gospel through film.

Doordarshan did accept a mega serial. ‘Bible Ki Kahaniyan’. ‘Navodaya Studios’ in Kerala made it in the 1980s and it was touted to be the ones like ‘Mahabharat’ or ‘Ramayan’. Actors like Shammi Kapoor were roped in to act in it! It went off air after a couple of episodes. It is told that Muslim outfits took objection to Biblical characters of the Islamic scriptures pictured in it.

Doordarshan as a secular window to the country does allocate slots for Christian themes during Christmas and Easter. However, do churches ask for films during these seasons to celebrate?

Today, there are umpteen number of satellite channels and cable networks! It is up to the Church and its members to make use of the opportunities to communicate the gospel through film. In the first place the Church should wake up from its slumber in this area. Secondly, whatever they produce should have creative excellence that channels would readily accept them for broadcasting!

What kind of opposition have you faced from the media and people of other faiths while preaching the gospel through your films? And how have you overcome the challenges?

We do not employ evangelists to go out with films. We train film evangelists for missionary agencies already in the field and provide them with films from our resource centers. Occasionally, we  receive some random reports of opposition.

How were your films financed and funded?

Funding comes, by and large through solicitations and special fund-raising efforts.

Have you tried to spread the gospel to children thru animation films? There have been animation feature films in other religions. Indian children also should have the means to know about Jesus through films.

We have shown foreign animation films after getting them translated into Indian languages. As film production is cost intensive, Indian churches don’t want to fund them. They may celebrate Christmas in a big way spending lakhs of rupees but they don’t want to give it for Christian film production and are even less keen to fund an animation film. Actually preaching the Gospel through films sadly doesn’t seem a very convincing medium to Indian churches to spread the Gospel.

How do you assess the impact of the ministry? How many people have come to the Lord as a result of your efforts?

We do receive reports of commitments made through film evangelism efforts. We do not keep a count as we believe in God’s Word that confirms that His Word that is communicated will not return to Him void.
Our ministries take special attention to groom Christian youth who have the aptitude and ‘know how’ to produce gospel films and television programs.  Hands-on training is provided through our home productions. Many of them are now leaders in the secular media. 

You are nearing 80. Have you formed a succession plan for your ministry?

The Board of Directors of Galilean International ministries makes decisions on appointments and succession. Currently, we have a General Director with a technical flair to direct the operations and an Executive Director to assist him. I have never been an employee of the organization. Mentoring is my function.

Tell me something about your family.

I have two daughters, a son and four grand children. All of them are committed to help me in the ministry along with my wife who is retired from teaching at high school level.

To know more about Galilean ministries, visit their website

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