Members making movies

Colin Gunn isn’t the only Samaritan Ministries member who makes feature-length movies.

Two others, Alan Maki and Donald James Parker, also have recently released films. Unlike Colin’s documentary work, though, Alan’s and Donald’s movies are fictional.

They still, however, deal with Biblical Truth.

Both movies are Dove Family-Approved and recommended for ages 12 and over.

Alan, a pastor at First Baptist Church in Tecumseh, Michigan, created Sidewalk Singer, a moving tale about a Christian street singer. The character, Kris Kivi, makes his living on donations from his sidewalk audiences and is still mourning the tragic loss of his family. That isn’t all he struggles with, though. Kris has trouble paying the rent, finding acceptance in a small church, and in the middle of everything else, gets mugged.

But through it all, Kris has faith and doesn’t give up his struggle to find healing, both physical and spiritual. Oh, and he finds love with a veterinarian and helps others find redemption through Christ. Not bad for a down-on-his-luck, laid-off high school soccer coach living in a one-room apartment with a ragdoll cat.

The 12-year Samaritan member, who also wrote the novels A Choice to Cherish and Written on Her Heart, plays the lead role in the film, produced it, and also wrote the screenplay, which received a five-dove rating from The Dove Foundation.

Besides drama and heartfelt performances, Sidewalk Singer features, of course, plenty of music. In the course of the movie, Alan performs several original songs he wrote with Kent Marcum, and his wife, Sharon, joins him onstage for the finale.

Sidewalk Singer will officially be released January 14, but can already be purchased through visionvideo.com as a DVD ($14.99 plus shipping) or a digital download ($9.99), or at ChristianCinema.com for $9.92. You can also see a trailer online.

Donald James Parker’s In Gramps’ Shoes, meanwhile, deals with a father reunited with his daughter and grandchildren in an answer to prayer but also in difficult circumstances: His single-mom daughter needs money and help with the kids. But Donald’s character, Ty, makes the most of the opportunity to reach his daughter, grandson, and granddaughter for Christ.

He faces several obstacles, though, especially hostility toward the Christian faith by his daughter, Amy (Francine Locke), and grandson, Scott (Andrew Wilson Williams). The biggest challenge is the latter, who hangs with some neighborhood undesirables and doesn’t like “Gramps”—at all—or much of anything else that has to do with respecting others. As the story moves on, though, Scott begins to catch not only his grandfather’s passion for running but also a passion for Christ. The rest of his family also feels the impact of Gramps’ Christian example.

The 63-year-old Donald, also a writer whose several books are available at donaldjamesparker.com, wrote the screenplay for the film and produced the movie, which received a four-dove rating. He has been a Samaritan member for two years.