GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (RNS) A film series founded by megachurch pastor and author Rob Bell is finding new life as a smartphone app. The series, called NOOMA, has sold more than 2 million copies, and is now available for Apple and Android platforms.
“We feel like apps are the future of how people are going to experience video content,” said John Raymond, vice president and publisher of curriculum at Zondervan. “Having video content wherever you go and whenever you want it is probably the future, so why not have a NOOMA everywhere you go?”
NOOMA, developed by the local group Flannel, is a series of 24 short films that blend everyday life with discussion about God. “Trees,” for example, considers the question of whether our life matters; “Rich” brings new perspective about the blessings we have in America. Each NOOMA features Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville and author of the New York Times best-seller “Love Wins.”
The first and best-selling title in the series, “Rain,” is free with each download of the new app. The 23 other NOOMA films are available for $2.99 each. Also included is a discussion guide for each film.
NOOMA is the first in-app purchase system developed by Zondervan, and the first app ever launched for Android by Zondervan and its parent, HarperCollins.
“This is a very interesting experiment in some ways, as we find out how people prefer to get their NOOMA,” he said.
(Ann Byle writes for The Grand Rapids Press in Grand Rapids, Mich.)
