By Margaret A. McGurk
Enquirer staff writer

In February, Harvest Pointe Christian Church in Batavia distributed 450 free tickets to multiple screenings of The Passion of the Christ as a way to reach out to potential church-goers.

"It was a fantastic turnout," said senior minister John Robinson. "I think we had only eight empty seats in all the shows. We have had e-mails from people thanking us. ... We came close to breaking even. We didn't ask for money; people just volunteered it because they were grateful."

The church has no special plans for the home video release, he said. "We are involved in 40 Days of Purpose," a nationwide project to focus and energize Christian congregations. "That's plenty for us. One big project at a time."

Jennifer Giroux of Madeira, co-founder of the Web site SeeThe Passion.com, said the site still receives testimonials from people whose lives were touched by the film.

She said her family business, the Catholic Shop in Madeira, is receiving many calls about the home-video version.

"It's not going to be one of those movies you watch every week. It's something people will watch during Holy Week. Everybody is going to want to own their own copy ... as a tool for self-reflection."

Pastor Joel Morgan at Royal Redeemer Lutheran Church in Liberty Township said the church expects to make use of the home videos next spring. "For us, Lent is more the time when we are going to be focusing on it. Our plan is at that point to offer a class related to the movie."

The DVD, already a best-seller at Internet sites that accept advance orders, will be available at virtually all video retail outlets. Kroger groceries that stay open 24 hours a day are prepared to start selling Passion DVDs at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

"That's fairly typical for new releases," said company spokesman Art Wulfeck, though he said big-name releases, such as Finding Nemo and Lord of the Rings movies, are most likely to attract first-minute customers.

Jesus on video

Several other home-video releases arrive on Tuesday, timed to ride the popularity The Passion of the Christ.

The most provocative is the relentlessly irreverent South Park: The Passion of the Jew, including two other episodes of religious satire, Christian Rock Hard and Red Hot Catholic Love.

Also on the market today:

• Jesus Christ Superstar Special Edition, a new release of the 1973 musical.

• Jesus: The Complete Story, a BBC documentary from 2001.

• The Bible ... In the Beginning, John Huston's all-but-forgotten 1966 movie based on the book of Genesis.

• NBC News Presents: The Last Days of Jesus, a recent TV documentary.

• Changed Lives: Miracles of the Passion from Good Times Home Video.

• Passion: The Life of Jesus, from Pro-Active Entertainment.