New film about foster care calls people of faith to action – Detroit Catholic

A new film aims to open people’s eyes to the 100,000 children across the country who need loving homes, while inviting them to become part of the solution.

“We all know that foster care exists, but we are not really aware of how it exists in our communities and what these children experience,” Joshua Weigel, director, writer and producer of “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot,” told Our Sunday Visitor.

Based on a true story, “Sound of Hope” follows Bishop WC Martin and his wife, First Lady Donna, leaders of the Bennett Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in East Texas as they inspire their rural black community to take in children no one else wants. The film tells the story of how 22 families in Possum Trot, Texas, together open their hearts and homes to 77 children. The PG-13 film, distributed by Angel Studios, opens in theaters nationwide on July 4.

In just over two hours, the film puts a human face on children in foster care, reveals the difficult realities of foster care and the need for it, shows the strength that faith and community provide, and demonstrates the transformative power of unconditional love.

The film stars Nika King (“Euphoria”), Demetrius Grosse (“Justified”) and Elizabeth Mitchell (“Outer Banks”), among others. Letitia Wright, best known for her leading role in “Black Panther,” serves as executive producer.

Joshua and his wife Rebekah, who also wrote and produced the film, began working on the script eight years ago. However, the Weigels revealed that their journey to making the film began ten years ago, in 2013, when they adopted two children – siblings – from foster care.

“It really opened our eyes to the care crisis we have in America and what these children and their families are going through,” Rebekah said.

According to data from the U.S. government’s Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) for fiscal year 2022, nearly 370,000 children live in foster care in this country, and more than 100,000 are waiting for adoption.

The Child Welfare Information Gateway defines foster care as “a temporary, court-supervised service provided by states to promote the safety, permanence and well-being of children and youth” when their home environment is not safe.

According to the AFCARS report, the most common reasons for child removal for children placed in foster care in fiscal year 2022 were neglect (62%), parental substance abuse (33%), caregiver overload (13%), physical abuse (13%), and placement (11%).

Rebekah worked to raise awareness and involve churches when she heard the Martins’ story, she said.

“I called Bishop Martin and brought him to Los Angeles to speak at a pastors’ luncheon,” she recalled. “He was able to really get people excited and get a lot of churches involved – and so we really saw the power of that story to start the movement.”

She revealed that they moved to Texas as a family to tell the story after living in Los Angeles for 23 years.

“We decided to move all the way to East Texas to really make sure we captured the essence of the story,” she said. “We’ve been in deep East Texas for three years, going to church with them and spending time with the community.”

When people see the film, the Weigels hope they will first and foremost recognize that the problem exists. Joshua also wanted viewers to understand what it’s like for children in foster care who have a harder time connecting with their families.

“This story is about children who were particularly difficult to place,” he said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean that they have more problems than other children, but it may be because of their age or because they live in sibling groups, and then unfortunately they become less attractive to families who want to adopt foster children.”

“We wanted to highlight that and help people understand how important these children are – how valuable they are – and that there is hope for them too,” he added.

He also wanted to dispel the misconception that children in foster care are beyond rescue at a certain point or that they are hopeless cases.

“We also wanted to dispel some of the myths surrounding these children and make sure people know that there is always hope to get out of these horrific situations,” he said.

The Weigels wanted people to know that every viewer and every church or community can make a difference.

“That it’s not just a film, but an opportunity to see yourself in it and think about how you could get involved,” Joshua said. “I think because this community has really been successful together, that’s kind of the basic idea that when you take on something like this as a community or a church, you become strong and can accomplish things that seem insurmountable.”

Rebekah said believers should especially consider getting involved. She pointed to the Bible, including James 1:27, which says: “Pure and blameless service before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from all defilement of the world.”

“These children are the orphans of our culture,” she said. “They have no one to fight for them and protect them.”

She drew attention to the 100,000 children who are currently waiting for a family. If they do not find a family, they will be too old for the foster care system.

“They are at risk of becoming victims of human trafficking, often end up in prison, become homeless and the consequences are really not good,” she warned. “God calls us to protect them, to defend the fatherless and to care for the weak.”

Joshua wanted to make it clear to believers that they should not separate their faith from their actions.

“We so often leave these practical problems in our lives, our neighborhoods and our society to either church leaders or civic leaders and government. We really want to get back to the understanding that we as individuals should deal with the problems around us and do what we can in our own lives when it comes to addressing these things,” he said. “That’s just part of who we are as followers of Jesus.”

“We want them to see that this is the expression of who actively follows Jesus and calls themselves a believer,” he added, “and that there is an understanding that this means engaging with the things around them that need God.”

The Weigels offered advice and encouragement to couples considering fostering or adopting children.

“It’s helpful to understand what you’re dealing with and what that looks like,” Joshua said. “I think it’s important to talk to people who are doing it or have done it and who are bearing good fruit.”

He called for people to get informed, but at the same time to be careful not to dissuade themselves from a foster family through over-analysis.

“The more you understand what’s coming — and you can prepare for it to some extent — the less it’s going to be a complete surprise,” he said. “Then you’re less likely to look back and think, ‘Wow, that was a mistake. We didn’t understand that. What did we do?’ and that kind of thoughts and fears can arise.”

Rebekah, on the other hand, described adopting two children from foster care as one of the most challenging things she has ever experienced, but also one of the most rewarding and beautiful things she has ever experienced.

“We want to call people out and make them realize that they’re getting into something really hard, that they’re going to experience a lot of brokenness and a lot of pain,” she said of the film. “But it’s also an amazing thing, and God calls us to do hard things… the rewards are beyond what we can comprehend if we follow Him.”

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Katie Yoder is an editor at Our Sunday Visitor.