Waco’s Calvary Baptist Church will host its summer film festival this year, with an eye on movies that tell stories of redemption sometimes found in unexpected places.

The series begins at 5 p.m. Sunday with a showing of “The Apostle,” starring Academy Award-winning actor Robert Duvall.

The story involves a man, Euliss “Sonny” Dewey, who discovers his wife is unfaithful and commits a crime of passion. He tries to turn his life around by becoming a preacher.

Most of the films in the series are not geared to children, said Jim Coston, senior pastor at Calvary.

Some of the movies, which will be shown on six Sundays until Aug. 21, contain violence, strong language and adult situations.

“I’ve told our folks these aren’t children’s movies,” Coston said. “If you have teenagers, parents will need to make up their own minds about whether they should attend.

“We are not condoning some of the elements the movies contain, but they are the real world and we want to have adult conversation.”

Public discussions

The public is invited to attend the series at the church, 1001 N. 18th-A St., eat popcorn and participate in discussions after the showings.

Calvary recruited Baylor University professors from several departments to offer insight.

For example, Andy Arterbury, associate professor of Christian Scriptures at Baylor’s Truett Seminary, will handle reaction to “The Apostle,” which was released in 1997.

Coston said he and deacon Kevin Tankersley came up with the idea of launching a film festival when their conversation turned to movies that deliver messages of faith, forgiveness and grace.

The movie buffs asked others to help compile a list of films that fit the description and then chose six to show.

“These are not necessarily church films, or religious films for that matter, with the possible exception of ‘The Apostle,’ which is one of my all-time favorite movies,” Tankersley said.

Not traditional fare

“We took a long time to choose our films and I think they will appeal to more folks than maybe traditional church films.”

Tankersley said he eagerly awaits the start of the series and hopes it attracts good crowds.

Calvary Baptist Church has more than 300 members and about 250 people show up to worship most Sundays.

“The voice of God is not limited to one particular medium. It communicates the good news of Jesus Christ in a variety of ways,” Coston said. “These films are not of the same genre or time frame, but they raise issues about characters who may be seeking meaning in their lives in terms of faith and their response to God.”

As people watch the movies, he added, “We’re going to listen for a word from the Lord.”

mcopeland@wacotrib.com

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