All God's Children - the ultimate sacrifice: a documentary by Scott Solary and Luci Westphal
Short Synopsis
Through the eyes of three families, All God’s Children tells the personal story of the first boarding school for children of missionaries to be investigated for abuse at the hands of the parents’ missionary colleagues. The survivors and parents share their journey of seeking justice, redemption and healing.
The Beardslee, Shellrude and Darr families left North America for West Africa during the 1950s. They followed what they believed to be “God’s Calling” – to spread Christianity throughout the world. Their children however - starting at the age of 6 – were required to attend the boarding school in Mamou, Guinea, run by the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Cut off from their families for 9 months out of the year and without any reliable means of communication, the children quietly suffered emotional, spiritual, physical and/or sexual abuse at the hands of the all-missionary staff.
It took the children decades to acknowledge the effects the abuses had on their lives. When they finally dared to break the silence and speak out, the Church denied all allegations and refused to help. But through years of persistent activism the survivors and their parents finally compelled the Christian and Missionary Alliance to conduct an investigation and acknowledge the abuses. The healing could begin.
The investigation of the Mamou Alliance Academy was the first of its kind but has since inspired investigations at other schools of many different denominations.
SOME REACTIONS:
Short Synopsis
Through the eyes of three families, All God’s Children tells the personal story of the first boarding school for children of missionaries to be investigated for abuse at the hands of the parents’ missionary colleagues. The survivors and parents share their journey of seeking justice, redemption and healing.
The Beardslee, Shellrude and Darr families left North America for West Africa during the 1950s. They followed what they believed to be “God’s Calling” – to spread Christianity throughout the world. Their children however - starting at the age of 6 – were required to attend the boarding school in Mamou, Guinea, run by the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Cut off from their families for 9 months out of the year and without any reliable means of communication, the children quietly suffered emotional, spiritual, physical and/or sexual abuse at the hands of the all-missionary staff.
It took the children decades to acknowledge the effects the abuses had on their lives. When they finally dared to break the silence and speak out, the Church denied all allegations and refused to help. But through years of persistent activism the survivors and their parents finally compelled the Christian and Missionary Alliance to conduct an investigation and acknowledge the abuses. The healing could begin.
The investigation of the Mamou Alliance Academy was the first of its kind but has since inspired investigations at other schools of many different denominations.
SOME REACTIONS:
"Deeply moving, the film tells of children who were cast onto the rocks of horrific abuse by the siren call of God's will. Yet years later, the wounded adults manage to shine a little light for all of us. Their stories stand as testimony to the transformative power of truth-telling. Christa Brown, advocacy writer and founder, StopBaptistPredators.org
"Exposing a horrific scandal that's virtually never been highlighted anywhere, this deeply moving film is about far more than childhood betrayal. It's also about the heroic work of wounded adults to hold callous and deceitful church officials accountable for stunning crimes. It's both jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring." David Clohessy, national director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests: SNAPnetwork.org
For more details on viewing or buying the dvd please visit:
http://www.allgodschildrenthefilm.com/
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