“The Disturbances” has been screened in a diverse group of churches and educational institutions since its September 2016 release, with more screenings planned for 2017.
The film – already screened 15 times in six U.S. states, and purchased by people living in 26 U.S. states – chronicles a previously untold story of missionaries and pastors saving lives during a time of tribal genocide in Nigeria in 1966.
Film interviewees include missionaries and missionary children with the Assemblies of God, Christian Reformed Church, Church of the Brethren, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Southern Baptist Convention, Sudan Interior Mission and Sudan United Mission as well as Nigerians.
The premier screening was Sept. 8 at Christ Church Nashville, “a three streams congregation, uniting the liturgical, evangelical and charismatic streams of the church into one unified expression of devotional and missional life.”
Two additional Tennessee screenings have taken place since then at University School of Nashville and First Baptist Nashville.
The state of Alabama has hosted six public screenings: Auburn University, McElwain Baptist Church (Mountain Brook), Shades Crest Baptist Church (Birmingham) and Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center. Samford University held two events focused on the film.
Trinity Baptist Church (San Antonio, Texas) hosted two screenings on Sept. 13.
Hales Corner Lutheran Church (Hales Corner, Wisconsin) and Timbercrest Senior Living Community (North Manchester, Indiana) both screened the film for the public, while invitation-only screenings took place in Fort Morgan, Colorado, and Huntsville, Alabama.
Confirmed 2017 screenings include: Ardmore Baptist (Winston-Salem, North Carolina), Five Points Baptist Church (Sylacauga, Alabama), Redeemer Lutheran Church (Owatonna, Minnesota), Siloam Baptist Church (Marion, Alabama) and a second screening at Shades Crest Baptist Church.
Details about confirmed screenings, as well as information about hosting a screening, are available here. More screenings are in the works.
Positive reviews have been received from a diverse audience, including news articles in The Tennessean, Christian Today and AL.com, as well as a TV interview with Nashville’s Channel 5.
The WMU Foundation urged its constituents, “Don’t miss a chance to see this incredible film!”
“Your documentary is smart, well told and has so much heart. I hope everyone sees it,” said The Tennessean reporter Heidi Hall.
Todd Zittlow, archivist at the Concordia Historical Institute (Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod), called it a “fascinating documentary.”
Julius Medenblik, president of Calvin Theological Seminary and a Christian Reformed Church pastor, reviewed the documentary’s companion book, concluding, “I highly recommend this material to all.”
Richard Mouw, professor of faith and public life at Fuller Theological Seminary School, called the book an “important and informative narrative” in his review.
“We are in Parham’s debt for what he has produced, both in this book and a companion documentary … We need to learn the important lessons to be learned,” he added.
“Written in sparse, nearly breathless prose, this story of heroism in the face of genocide brings to light a history long neglected by both those who lived it and those who normally document such tragedy,” wrote Tara Hornbacker, professor of ministry formation, missional leadership and evangelism at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Indiana.
She added, “In learning from the witness of the believers in ‘The Disturbances,’ we can find inspiration to accompany the oppressed, facing evil and violence with the gospel of love and peace – to the glory of God and our neighbors’ good.”
Additional information can be found on the documentary’s website, TheDisturbances.com, and through its Facebook and Twitter accounts.
The documentary can be previewed and purchased here.
The companion book, following the film’s script and providing additional details and stories, can be previewed and purchased here. An e-book version is available through Amazon.com here.
