Reaching Out

Aired 2002-03. All the major faith communities in the United States seek to reach those who are not reached by the usual church, temple, or mosque services or programs. This program showed how various faith communities have developed lively new approaches. Among the groups visited are Holy Grounds Café and Solid Foundation Skate Park in New Jersey, where teens and college students skateboard, listen to music and learn about Touch The World ministries which trains people for worldwide mission work. The program ventured to Pennsylvania, where truckers were being served by a travelers ministry led by Rev. Bruce Maxwell and his truck stop prayer and Bible sessions. Methodists reached out through staged NASCAR races in North Carolina, races mixed with ministry and power. The broadcast finally went to a synagogue in Hoboken, New Jersey, where Rabbi Robert Scheinberg and Marc Borish, a teacher of Hebrew, used Learn Hebrew In Five Easy Lessons to introduce this ancient language, using a mix of humor and fellowship to draw people closer to their religious roots. John P. Blessington was the executive producer of the special, Ted Holmes was the producer. It was presented with the cooperation of the National Council of Churches, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Jewish Theological Seminary and the Southern Baptist Broadcast Communications Group.