Sound of Hope might break your heart - but here’s why Christians should watch it anyway

Imagine a tiny church in the middle of the Texan countryside, tucked away in the woods. Meeting faithfully each weekend, the congregation, despite their beautiful Sunday-best outfits, is largely comprised of low-income households. Yet, inspired by the love of God and the example of their pastor, between 1998 and 2000 this church welcomed 77 children into adoptive families.   

In fact, so many families came forward from Bennett Chapel in Possom Trot, Texas there were no more children in need of adoption in the entire region. This is the true story behind the film Sound of Hope: the story of Possum Trot.  

The lead pastor at that small church, Bishop WC Martin, whom I once met at a conference, is just as he is depicted on screen – an inspirational, no-nonsense Pentecostal pastor, full of passion, grace and truth.  

There are more than 2,400 children in England alone who are waiting to be adopted 

Along with his wife Donna, Bishop Martin has appeared on American television networks CNN and MSNBC to tell their story and talk about Christian hospitality. He certainly inspired me, becoming part of my journey to build a charity in the UK that could catalyse churches and their members to embrace children in need of foster care and adoption.  

Honest beauty 

The film version of their story is a gut-wrenching, hard-hitting depiction of what adoption is like. It refuses to settle for some romantic fairytales and instead grapples with accurately depicting what it is really like to wrestle with trauma and separation in everyday life.  

The storyline explores the different reasons that children come into care, and what it is like to be untrusting of adults in your life after the adults that should have cared for you have neglected or even abused you. It shows the difficult days as well as the incredible moments of joy and connection.  

This movie is not for the faint hearted, although if you’re thinking about adopting or fostering a child, it’s a must-see. But it also deserves a much wider audience. It shows what genuine Christian faith in action should really look like: studying God’s word, following Jesus and living a meaningful, purposeful life.  

Inspiring action 

It is also a great film to bring a friend to, as it will surely inspire a great post-credits discussion of why a person’s faith would motivate them to go to such great lengths to welcome someone into their home. I warmly encourage you to see this film at a cinema, not only so that you get the full experience but also to ensure that Sound of Hope gets the widest possible viewing.  

This movie is not for the faint hearted, although if you’re thinking about adopting, it’s a must-see 

This year in the UK, around 38,792 children and young people will enter the care system. That is 106 each and every day. There are currently more than 2,400 children in England who are waiting to be adopted, and children of colour are the hardest to find adoptive homes for. Against this backdrop, Sound of Hope could well play a significant role in inspiring all sorts of people to step up and ensure that every child who needs a home and a family is safely cared for.   

Sound of Hope: The story of Possum Trot is now showing in UK and Irish cinemas. For more information visit soundofhopemovie.co.uk