🎥 FREE MOVIE EVENT 🎥 (Ripley, WV)
(The following article was written by reporter Suzette Lowe of the “Jackson Star & Herald” newspaper after an interview with Evangelist Caleb Garraway. You can read the original article HERE.)
RIPLEY, W.Va. (WV News) — Sometimes, the most powerful message is delivered through a story, and when that story is told in film, it can become even more commanding. That is the prayer of Evangelist Caleb Garraway as he brings a movie, REDEEMING HOPE, to Ripley Baptist Temple on Thursday, May 23, at 7 p.m. The free film will be shown the evening after a four-day revival at the church conducted by the evangelist, often simply called Brother Garraway.
“We know we need revival,” he said. “But that is only possible among Christians. It’s a renewing, refreshing and reigniting.”
The revival has no particular theme or title. “Whatever the Lord lays on our hearts to sing and preach is what we’ll do,” Brother Garraway said. “Renewing is falling back in love with Jesus and when a church is revived, it can reach the community.”
Having been in full-time ministry for 15 years, the preacher has dabbled in producing a few short films and videos. When asked where the idea for what he calls a “multi-faceted narrative-based film” came from, Brother Garraway says it was ideas that he jotted down on a piece of paper. “The funny thing is that I don’t have a great recollection of the process,” he said. “I actually ran across the original paper not long ago, and it surprised me to see it. This was all God.”
While the film is fiction, it is inspired by true stories. “It’s a patchwork of testimonies woven together, some even from my own family,” the evangelist said.
The story centers around a veteran who has faced the ravages and struggles brought on by Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD). The path the main character takes is not an easy one. The film is geared for those ten years or older. “While the way of the transgression is hard, we do handle it with taste,” Brother Garraway said. “We don’t say that those younger than ten can’t come, but the plan is to offer them an alternate activity. This film has a strong message.”
The production process took five years, but the filming took two weeks in Baltimore in late 2017. Other projects, responsibilities, and preaching opportunities made it impossible to devote full-time attention. “But it’s all God’s timing,” the preacher said. “And the financing was all God, too. There’s a saying, “If it’s God’s will, it’s God’s bill”. He provided the way, but it took leaps of faith as well.”
The project brought a good friend to play the lead character. “He had the burden for this as well, so the long-haired homeless veteran in the movie is a pastor in real life,” he said. “His church got behind this. There were scores of people involved throughout the whole process.”
The film was released with a two-day premiere in Baltimore in May 2023. In the year since its release, 14,000+ people have come to Jesus through this film. It is shown in churches and by pastors all over the world. It is free to show. Just contact Brother Garraway.
“I will give you the link,” he said. “There is no charge to you to show it.”
When starting this labor of love, Brother Garraway thought it might be a 15-minute short film. When it turned out to be an hour and 35 minutes long, he decided it needed to be cut. The final product is about an hour. “We know people will be more likely to watch a film if it’s not too long,” he said. “Our purpose is to see souls saved, and we’re conscious of time.”
Brother Garraway says the film was developed differently than most. “It was all done backwards,” he said with a smile. “There is usually a specific process. With this, there wasn’t even a script. My wife and I knew it would be narrative-driven, so we would have to film the scenes conceptually. There are moments of loosely scripted dialogue to be as natural as possible.”
One of the sweetest parts of the experience for Brother Garraway was bringing his father in as an actor. “Dad said ‘I can’t act,’ but I told him I needed ‘classic dad’,” he said. “I told him not to think of it as acting but just like it was a door he was knocking on to share the gospel. He went to heaven about a year after filming, so I’m so glad he’s in it.”
Brother Garraway said the film has a simple but complex message. “It’s about a homeless veteran struggling with past war experiences leading to present addictions and contemplating suicide,” he said. “Before it’s too late, he comes face to face with the gripping reality of God’s love. So many people can relate to the struggles, but the film’s title says it all. There is redeeming hope.”
The revival began Sunday and will continue on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The film will be shown on Thursday at 7 p.m. Ripley Baptist Temple is located at 320 Charleston Drive in Ripley.
