The Discover Jesus App: Status 2023 Oct

Discover Jesus Update

By Mike Robinson

READYING FORTHE INITIAL PUBLIC RELEASE

At the time of this writing, we are just 30 days from releasing our first version of the Discover Jesus app to the general public. It's an exciting time as we endeavor to make the best first impression with our early release.

Similar to getting one's house ready for sale, there are lots of last minute details and we hope to "wow" those who will view the site with our content, images, and the interconnectedness of the life and teachings of Jesus.

We may be putting on a "coat of paint" and "planting some flowers" here or there to make things look better. Ultimately, we trust the Spirit of Truth to be our guide in making this meaningful to those who will view our ever-growing site devoted to the life and teachings of Jesus.

Our public launch is scheduled for November 15th, 2023. We hope to unveil in our next newsletter the successful launch and reception of all of the hard work of many people who have contributed to this effort over the past few years. Exciting times, indeed!

DEVELOPMENT PROGRESS

Our most recent milestone was the completion of our first Journey mode that intersperses more images into select narratives (like the summary of Jesus' life) and places them into bite-size chapter and section entries. Our search toolbar is working to help make the content more accessible and targeted based on each viewer's interests. After our launch, we will shift our focus to developing a mobile-friendly version of the app for use on smartphones and tablets.

As we continue to develop new essays and images, we are approximately 20-25% of the way to our goal of approximately 600-700 total articles. Much of our work lies ahead!

CREATIVE WRITING

The writing team has been working hard in preparation for the public launch of the app. In addition to Gregg T. and Tom R. who were announced in the last update, Trudi C. has also joined the team. Welcome, Trudi!

We are continuing to prioritize the writer’s work to complete some of the most commonly referenced articles first. We hope to have at least 120 original essays and articles published with images at the time of our public launch. As a reminder, each essay represents an original exposition of a Person, Group, Relationship, Event, Location, Object, or Topic from part IV of The Urantia Book.

MEDIA CURATION

Gary has continued to paint for the app and is using the Midjourney AI program to produce an initial draft and then completes the work himself. His talent is invaluable as was shared in last month's newsletter that showcased many of his early images created for the Discover Jesus app.

It's Gary's unique skill and talent that weaves these images into the narrative and creates the jaw-dropping moments when we see those people, places, and events that we have only envisioned in our mind's eye when reading The Urantia Book.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

As you can imagine, this is a huge project and we have a team of enthusiastic Urantia students working on it. Lisa T. is creating the pages, functionality, and the look and feel of Discover Jesus. Fraser is developing the app to work on laptops and desktops (a mobile-friendly version is coming soon). Lisa C. is helping with the marketing and fundraising. And we have so many writers and others to thank for their incredible investment of time.

Please consider helping us with a donation. A generous donor has challenged all of us with a matching fund of $100,000 for new donations made through the end of 2023. That's just a little over two months from now!

Look for the "Contribute" button at the top of this page, or donate below.

Thank you!