Chillicothe Christian Films To End November 20th
Oct 31, 2023 11:14AM ● By Rich Gerberding, HOI Christian Movie Central
In mid-2016, we asked several Chillicothe churches a simple question—would you consider partnering in a free monthly Christian movie night? We had hosted movie nights underwritten by businesses, but with no regular schedule and no one could plan for them. Within a day we had three positive responses, and two more by the year end. By 2022 that grew to 11 churches—from nine denominations and five communities—not just Chillicothe!
The goal was to be self-sustaining, with donations covering future movie nights. Constantly asking partner churches—or guests invited to a “free” movie—for more money was not an option.
Before 2020, eight nights exceeded 100 guests, including 213 for The Case for Christ. The Chosen’s Director, Dallas Jenkins, joined us for his film The Resurrection of Gavin Stone.
Several special guests joined us, including Pastor Tom Zobrist and his wife Cindi when we played Ring the Bell, featuring their son, 2016 World Series MVP Ben Zobrist! (Ben was busy with the Cubs!)
Since 2020, numbers have been down but we remained positive. We entered 2023 with big plans to close the gap, but other circumstances instead pushed that goal out of reach.
As a result, November 20th will be the final night for Chillicothe Christian Films. Two films will be offered—Beyond the Farthest Star in Theatre 1, and Jesus Revolution in Theatre 2—both starting shortly after 6pm at the Town Theatre.
As ministries, responsible for stewarding resources entrusted to us, we regularly consider whether funds could better serve the Kingdom elsewhere.
We will continue to promote Christian films in the area on Facebook @ChilliChristianFilms and by direct email. If any churches or groups have an interest in hosting a film, we’ll help you step by step, and of course help promote. Contact me by email: [email protected].