|PIC1|The Bible Society is to take full advantage of the BBC's recently released series 'The Miracle of Jesus', with a new evangelistic outreach into schools and churches, which will include an array of resources to supplement the programmes.

The Miracles of Jesus, the new BBC documentary series presented by former Middle East correspondent Rageh Omar aired on BBC 1 on 6, 13 and 20 August.

The Bible Society has seized the opportunity posed by the series to use take “Religious Education students and churches on a compelling journey into the meaning of Jesus' miracles”.

To celebrate the release of the BBC series, the Bible Society has commissioned extensive classroom and church resources to be released for the autumn.

In recognition of the importance of the production, the Bible Society is to make the series available on DVD, together with specially commissioned materials for GCSE and A-Level students.

|AD|Commenting on the series, Captain Jim Currin, Executive Secretary of ‘Group for Evangelisation’, a body within the Churches Together in England, said, “It is a bold experiment which I think works well, giving Christians a valuable opportunity to talk about our Christian faith in natural conversation.”

Over three hours, on-location reporting and 'time-slip' Matrix style effects help viewers to investigate objectively the meanings behind the miracles attributed to Jesus. They examine what these meant to Jesus' contemporaries, his enemies and his followers.

Commenting on the documentary, Rageh Omar said, “As a Muslim I am fascinated by this man Jesus. Jesus has changed the lives of millions of people … so let’s try and ask the question ‘why’?”

Author of the teachers' pack, educational writer and former Head of RE, Sue Hookway, said, “The BBC series is highly credible and thought-provoking. It’s a terrific tool for all kinds of students and we think we've come up with a flexible tool that will help teachers make the most of it.”

The teacher’s pack will include a DVD, a study guide, teacher support as well as various creative classroom activities. Other resources will also be made available online including printable downloads. The teaching pack will also be available in November, but copies can be reserved now by clicking www.miraclesofjesus.co.uk