In collaboration with Speciality Cinema, the Community Contact Ministry held a premiere showing of The Forage.

Sister Angela Thomas brought this idea to Pastor Gladstone Thompson, and together, they prepared a fantastic event on August 22 for the community to raise funds to benefit Bermuda’s youth.

“Community Contact Ministry, we are one of the churches under the umbrella of the New Testament Church of God, under the administration of Bishop H David Lamb,” Mr Thompson said.

“Our name describes our purpose. We spend at least two months out of the four walls and in the community every year, and we have been doing so ever since the pandemic.

“We used that as a springboard to jump into and fulfil the purpose of our ministry. We do our best to engage the community, and this was another event that had that community feel.

“As the pastor, I do encourage the members to be active and creative, and the motto of our church is that we are a ‘lit’ church. We are loving, innovative, and transformational. And so I thought this aligned with our ministry's innovative portion. She asked permission to investigate this opportunity further, and of course, I said yes.”

Ms Thomas explained how the event came about. “I was browsing through the internet to look at what movies were coming up, and I saw The Forage,” she said. “There was a movie before this, also written by the Kendrick brothers, and it was called The War Room.

“The significance and the impact that The War Room had on Bermuda and people I know personally, I said, wow, we have to make an event of this so that we can get it out to the public, also geared towards the young people and get them to see it.

“The message I saw in the trailer was something significant that Bermuda needs to see. This was an excellent chance to show young people that when you get out of high school, if you haven’t decided, there are other avenues you can take, and people out there are willing to help you.”

She continued: “From the very beginning, the intent was that it was a fundraiser to assist the youth. Two young children whose families are being sponsored as a result of this event. That's why we exist. We are Community Contact Ministries, and we are here to help the community.”

Community Contact Ministry had something special planned for those who purchased tickets to attend the event. Mr Thompson said: “My sister Angela is very thorough and decided she wanted a little concert before the event. We wanted our patrons to experience something different than just coming to the movies and sitting there.

“She pulled together an itinerary. Within the performance, we had Shawn Herman, who played several musical selections on his saxophone. Also, the girls from my daughter Shaunte’s camp danced to Every Praise is to our God.”

Priced at $50 a ticket, attendees experienced a mini-concert, the first viewing of The Forage, including popcorn and soda. The premiere was priced to cover the expenses of the event and raise funds to assist youth in Bermuda.

The price did not deter people from giving and attending the event and filling up both rooms of the theatre, with the majority of the second room being filled with people who attended for free at the generosity of those who sponsored their tickets.

“The price at $50 sometimes looked a little daunting; some were wary about that price, so I reached out to the Premier, David Burt, explained to him that we had this opportunity, and asked if he would like to sponsor.

“He sponsored five gentlemen from the boys’ home. The minister in charge of the girls’ home, Tinée Furbert, sponsored her staff from Brangman’s Home. senator Lindsay Simmons also sponsored tickets.

“When things like that started to happen, it spoke to Angela and me that this must be the hand of the Lord and put some wind beneath our wings, because some days you start to wonder if anyone was going to buy a ticket, and then all of a sudden they are moving left right and centre.”

Mr Thompson added: “I did ask many of my personal friends, and they said although they are not coming, they would like to purchase a ticket, and we can sponsor someone.

“At least 20-plus people sponsored someone else, and that [contributed to] filling up the second theatre. I was able to invite my senior students from St David’s Primary, some of our Sunday school students. Many may have asked: ‘Why are you charging $50?’ However, out of that, we were able to be a blessing to so many people because so many people just gave, and therefore, we were able to give.”

He added: “The movie was so true to the Gospel message that Jesus changes our lives. One thing about The Forage is that it showed the power of male mentorship and that males can step into the lives of other young males to show them a better way.

“For me, I saw how Christ made the difference. The process in the movie focuses on pointing the young person to Christ, and I believe that Jesus is the portion of the equation that truly makes the difference. If there is any message that I would like to say to our young males, it is to find Jesus.”

The Forage is showing at Speciality Cinema until September 12.