Local church's movie night sheds light on global battle to end child trafficking
Samara Carruthers, left, with Gloria Parry, selling items to fundraise for Transform the Nations at one of the Church’s Burnside Twilight Market events.
by Janine Hill
MEMBERS of a Burnside church hope a movie screening will generate support for an organisation fighting child sex trafficking.
Hope Community Church held a private screening of Sound of Freedom at the Majestic Cinema, Nambour, on September 10.
Released in July, the movie is the 10th highest grossing movie in the world so far this year, ahead of the latest Indiana Jones, Mission Impossible and Transformers flicks.
A promotional image from the Sound of Freedom movie.
Based on a true story, Sound of Freedom tells of a United States Homeland Security agent who founds his own charity to combat child sex trafficking.
Samara Carruthers, who helped organise the Nambour screening, said close to 60 people attended and the movie had an emotional effect on many of those in the audience.
“There were a few tears,” she said. “You see a father whose child is not in their bed. What would you do if your children didn’t come home at night and you didn’t know where they were?”
Samara said members of the church took a strong interested in the battle against child sex trafficking as two people formerly connected with the church now worked in the field.
Geoff and Gloria Parry are part of the organisation Transform the Nations founded by Graham & Robyn Kerr.
Samara said Transform the Nations did great work trying to rescue girls from being trafficked from Nepal into India but also works elsewhere.
Samara said two of her three sons had visited Nepal as 12-year-olds and met children who were staying in hostels and going to school thanks to Transform the Nations.
“The older two children came back as changed people. They didn’t need the latest iPad or phone when they saw how excited the children there were about a pencil with a rubber on the end,” she said.
“They came back with a very different view of their lives. They still wanted all the toys but I think they were a bit more grounded.”
Samara said people wishing to support the fight against child sex trafficking could do so by attending the monthly twilight community markets at Burnside, where Transform the Nation usually has a stall selling Nepalese wares.
Now Showing at Majestic Cinemas
Now Showing at Majestic Cinemas in Nambour: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (animated); Paw Patrol the Mighty Movie (animated); Haunted Mansion (PG kid friendly); Blue Beetle (action hero); Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken (animated); My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3; The Nun 2 (horror); A Haunting in Venice (murder mystery), and from September 28 The Creator (sci-fi action). For session times please visit www.majesticcinemas.com.au.