In this month’s issue of Homeschooling Teen magazine, we published an article about the Eubank family. Dave Eubank, leader of the “Free Burma Rangers” humanitarian organization, became famous for dodging ISIS sniper fire on June 2, 2017, in order to save a little girl in Mosul. Before moving to Iraq, the Eubanks had lived in Burma among the Karen (kuh-REN) people, many of whom are persecuted Christians.

One of Burma’s major ethnic groups, the Karen live mainly in the mountainous eastern border region and central delta area. Most Karen people are subsistence farmers, living in small mountain villages, raising animals, growing rice and vegetables. The Karen in Burma have been oppressed by successive regimes of that country for decades, but military activity against the Karen people escalated in the late 1990s/early 2000s.

Their villages were destroyed, many people were killed, and many others were forced from their homes in what Eubanks called an effort “to dominate, control, and radically assimilate all the ethnic peoples of the country.” More than 150,000 Karen people fled to refugee camps in Thailand. Some of them left the Thai refugee camps to resettle in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Scandinavia.

Based on true events, ALL SAINTS is an inspirational story about salesman-turned-pastor Michael Spurlock (John Corbett), a small church congregation, and a group of Karen refugees in Tennessee, USA. They risk everything to come together and plant seeds for a future that might just save them all.

After leaving his corporate sales career to become an ordained minister, Pastor Michael’s first assignment is All Saints, a quaint country church with only a dozen members. There’s one catch: he is tasked with shutting down the small church and selling the prime piece of land on which it sits. Developers eagerly eye the property, while the congregation is in despair as they mourn the day their church doors will be closed for good. But God has something else in mind…

One day, a group of Karen refugees show up at All Saints. They are Anglican Christians and former farmers seeking a fresh start in America. Pastor Michael is now torn between choosing what he was assigned to do—close the church and put it up for sale—or jeopardizing his career by ignoring his superiors and keeping the church open.

Rev. Spurlock: “Let’s keep them in our prayers and ask for God’s help.”

Atticus Spurlock, 10: “Aren’t you God’s help?”

Pastor Michael feels called to an improbable new mission, challenging the people of All Saints to take a risk and provide much-needed hope to their community. Toiling alongside the Karen people, the congregation attempts to turn their fertile land into a working farm to pay the church’s bills and feed its newest members.

AFFIRM Films and Provident Films (Courageous, Fireproof) have teamed up once again to prove that faith-based movies don’t have to be low budget, poorly acted, preachy or hokey. The trailer shows that this is a professional quality, cinematically superb production, with a powerful message about faith, hope, and community.

Official All Saints Trailer

ALL SAINTS will release in theaters nationwide on Friday, 8/25/17. This is a wide release, so it will be available in all major markets. You can find theaters, tickets, news, resources, photos, and more behind-the-scenes clips on the official movie website. Watch “The Heart of the Movie” below to see the real-life Rev. Michael Spurlock and learn more about the true story that inspired the movie.

The Heart of All Saints

ALL SAINTS is a story of faith, triumph, and healing. It reminds us that there is always hope, even when the odds seem overwhelmingly against us. It’s a great movie for ages 10 and up. Hopefully this movie will inspire you, your family, and your friends to make a difference in your community. You can also read the book!

All Saints: The Surprising True Story of How Refugees from Burma Brought Life to a Dying Church – Discover the true story that inspired the film while diving deeper into the background of the Karen people, the church, and how a community of believers rally to reach out to those in need, yet receive far more than they dared imagine.

DISCLOSURE:

As a Featured Contributor of Sony’s ALL SAINTS Influencer Program, we received the value of two movie tickets in exchange for an honest review. 

How would you like the opportunity to win two Fandango codes yourself so you can see the movie on opening weekend?