Help Start a Racial Reconciliation Movement

At long last our documentary on the Christian response to racism is finished. And I need your help to make it go viral.

I’ve written about it before and we devoted a special issue of Charisma to the topic. It isn’t a topic most people want to deal with. But we Christians must speak up!

That’s happening here in Sanford, Fla. And now these pastors and Christian leaders have a voice in an amazing documentary that tells the untold story of how Christ’s love is helping to heal deep wounds in this divided city.

This weekend a press release went out to major media. But we can’t rely on the media to get out the word.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so watch it for yourself. Click here to view the video on the Charisma Magazine YouTube channel. It is also live on sanforddocumentary.com with a popup light box.

Please email this to friends and post on Twitter and Facebook. Together we can make a difference.

Here’s a copy of the press release with more information:

New Documentary Highlights Racial Reconciliation Journey in Sanford, Fla.

Tragic death of Trayvon Martin sparked emotion, rhetoric about racism

A new documentary, Sanford: The Untold Story, highlighting the racial reconciliation journey being experienced in Sanford, Fla., following the tragic death of Trayvon Martin in February, has been released on YouTube.

In this 30-minute film, Charisma Media founder and program host Steve Strang reveals how local pastors—including black, Hispanic and Caucasian—have taken the lead to confront the racial divide that spans generations in their city by regularly meeting, sharing and praying together.

“I was genuinely moved to see how these pastors have passionately stood together and are now reaching out to help hurting people,” Strang said. “Their story will inspire audiences across the country to initiate a similar approach in their communities—because racism isn’t limited to Sanford, Fla.”

As a 30-year resident of central Florida, Strang knew of the deep-seated racial tensions in the region, but was as surprised as anyone at the explosion that occurred following Martin’s death, as national activist leaders arrived in Sanford and the New Black Panthers calling for violence in the streets.

“I really believe that bringing together pastors and leaders in Sanford was a powerfully positive thing,” said Raleigh Washington, CEO and president of Promise Keepers, who attended the first gathering of pastors in the area. “Individuals from across races and denominations came together all for one purpose—to speak as one for the community and embrace one another—something which is now continually happening.”

In conjunction with a special issue of Charisma magazine focusing on “The Church’s Response to Racism” released in June, the documentary Sanford: The Untold Story, produced by Charisma Media’s nonprofit partner Christian Life Missions, will air nationwide beginning Sept. 2 and is available on DVD for a $30 donation.

“This case has stirred a great deal of tension and obviously brought to light the issues of race in America that are often simmering just below the surface of our culture,” Strang said. “Still, there is a deeper, more personal story of hope that needs to be told. As this polarization becomes seemingly more heated and complex than perhaps ever before, it seems the church remains the only hope for societal renewal and personal reconciliation.

“Our purpose in producing this program is to share the story about the catalytic role of pastors and Christians in Sanford who have come together to promote healing and forgiveness in this community,” Strang continued. “Blacks and whites are meeting together and getting the issues out in the open and praying for one another, and they are bringing unity among the races here. We want the whole nation to hear about what they are doing, and consider the potential for this to become a movement across the country.”