BlogThree23

Last week, I traveled with director Herb Kossover and producer Stephen Ostrander to Angola Prison, Louisiana to screen the documentary film, “A New Hope.” What a great privilege to be there and to see this project come full circle, displayed in front of the men who have graduated and are currently enrolled in this very unusual bible college. Thanks to our Panasonic friends at The WH Platts Company in Atlanta for use of a PT-DW6300US projector and to the films Executive Producer, the North American Mission Board, for use of their Panasonic AJ-HD1400 deck. (Here is an article about the event by Panasonic, thanks to CreativeCow.net)

After we preset the equipment, there was a brief dinner & reception with the warden, president of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and other V.I.P’s.  We then rode back to the main cell block, passed through the security gates and walked into the church now packed with 750 prisoners. The prisoner who was helping us whispered to give a “thumbs up” when we were ready to turn out the lights.  After some brief comments were made, we gave him the signal and pressed play. It was great to see the piece big, in full 720p HD, and interesting to experience the reaction from the men.

I didn’t think of it at the time .. there sitting in the dark behind us were 750 pretty rough guys … each with a story that in many cases is hard to believe. Only because of the transformation caused by the bible college & ultimately by God (so we were told) is this kind of gathering possible.  Couldn’t help but wonder if my own personal faith has transformed my world? God bless those guys, the prison & staff, college & professors … and this effort … hoping it it will spread.