wfn.org | 'Forgiveness' documentary elicits responses

[Beth Hawn <bethah@mbm.org>]

Mennonite Board of Missions
<News@MBM.org>
December 19, 2001

'Forgiveness' documentary elicits powerful, positive responses

HARRISONBURG, Va. (MBM) - A documentary produced by Mennonite 
Board of Missions Mennonite Media, which features real people 
telling powerful stories of forgiveness in the face of death, is 
airing on 153 ABC-TV network affiliates across North America 
during December and January.

That number represents about 65 percent of all ABC stations - 10 
percent more than usually will air the religious specials from 
network headquarters, according to Sheri Hartzler, associate 
producer.

After the first two weeks of the airing of Journey Toward 
Forgiveness, Mennonite Media had received more than 40 calls, 
either buying a video copy of the program or requesting more 
information.  On Dec. 9, calls began coming in at 6 a.m., 
including a call from one man injured in a drunken-driving 
accident 20 years earlier.

"People in our situation have a need to help others," said the 
man, who speaks to groups about his accident.

Mike Medley, head of the intensive English program at Eastern 
Mennonite University, said their family delayed Sunday lunch to 
gather around the TV to watch the program as a family.

"I was impressed by the range of experiences that were 
represented in the documentary, from death and dying on a 
personal level and the bitterness people feel at that; to 
personal loss through an act of crime; to historical stories," 
Medley said.  "The documentary stimulated a lot of thought.  It 
was interactive in that it demanded viewers to make connections 
throughout the stories."

EMU had also arranged for the program to be viewed over a 
large-screen projector in one auditorium on campus, attended by 
65 to 70 students.

The documentary received good exposure from other sources as well.

Valparaiso (Ind.) University, where Walt Wangerin is 
writer-in-residence, sent news releases and posted a major 
article on the university's web site www.valpo.edu/news. 
Wangerin, author of numerous children's and adult books, was a 
storyteller in the documentary.

Another well-known person featured in the program, John Perkins, 
sent 15,000 brochures about the documentary to people on the 
mailing list for his Mendenhall (Miss.) Ministries and Christian 
Community Development Association.

The Missoula (Mont.) Demonstration Project, a citywide effort 
helping citizens deal with death and dying issues (also featured 
in the documentary), set up viewings with "talk-back" times in 
several locations in Missoula, a metropolitan area of about 100,000.

WHSV-TV, Harrisonburg, aired a news segment on Nov. 30 and clips 
from the documentary, interviewing producer Jerry Holsopple, 
assistant producer Sheri Hartzler and writer Melodie Davis. 
Newspapers in many areas carried news stories.  WLTK in Broadway, 
Va., also did a live radio interview with Davis.

Staff have worked weekends in order to answer many of the 
telephone calls with a human voice.  "At times, all three 
incoming lines light up within five minutes of the end of a 
broadcast," said Lois Hertzler, who is in charge of customer 
service.

Three Virginia-based Mennonite counselors have made themselves 
available on a volunteer basis for referrals for any callers who 
need emotional support and help, but so far their help hasn't 
been needed.

"Most of the callers want to order the video, want more 
information on cost, or sometimes just want to talk," Hertzler 
said.  One woman, however, was so moved that she could barely 
stop weeping to give her name and address.

While the documentary has already aired in many areas, at least 
42 more releases are coming up between Dec. 22 and the first 
weeks of January.  People in Canada who are able to get the ABC 
station out of Fargo, N.D., can see the documentary at 1 p.m. on 
Dec. 30.

For more, check the documentary schedule on the Internet 
(http://www.journeytowardforgiveness.com/schedule/) or call 
800-999-3534.  Stations also sometimes make last-minute 
scheduling changes, so check local listings if possible.

The video is available for $24.95 plus $4.50 shipping in the 
United States, or $39.95 plus $6 shipping to Canada.  Orders will 
be shipped by mid-February.  ABC-TV restricts sales of the 
broadcast for a six-week window of time.

* * *

Mennonite Media Staff