Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) March 25, 2015
Josh Wilson's younger brother never had a chance at life. He died in the womb, moments before birth, an innocent casualty of an extreme religious sect.
Many children in Indiana in the 80’s suffered the same fate as Josh, faultless victims of a particularly extreme Christian sect called “Faith Assembly”. Hundreds of otherwise ordinary Indiana families blindly followed the teachings of the sect’s leader, Hobart Freeman. [1]
This summer, survivor Josh and filmmaker Jack Pennington will track down those children of Faith Assembly to gather as many stories from as many survivors as possible. The final feature length documentary is scheduled for release in spring 2016.
A Kickstarter campaign was launched on Monday March 23, 2015 to raise the $16,000 necessary to fund the project. Backers will be given DVDs, credit in the final film, or even direct access to the filmmakers through Google Hangouts in return for their contributions.
“We all go through our search,” Wilson explains, “What is the meaning of life?…Well, here was the guy that had all the answers.”
According to Wilson, people stopped going to the doctor. They stopped saving for the future. They refused to get loans for homes and cars. In many cases, they kept their kids from public school.
“If a kid got sick, you probably didn't have a family doctor anymore, you'd stopped going. All you would do is pray. People would pray, and it wouldn't work...That’s neglect. Kids die. I can tell you first hand,” Wilson said.
It isn’t known how many Americans are forced to live in these oppressive religious communities, and those who do are usually compelled to be silent. But dozens of former Faith Assembly children have come forward, willing to tell their stories. This is a unique opportunity. These are the voices you never hear.
Faith Assembly, in earlier years known as the Glory Barn, was located in Noble County, Indiana near the town of Wilmot.
Funds must be raised by Tuesday, April 22 in order for this film to proceed. Please direct interview requests to Jack Pennington or Josh Wilson at the contact information listed below.
Contact: Jack Pennington, Director (Winston-Salem, NC)
Email: jack(at)tellchange(dot)com
Phone: 336-970-0265
Contact: Josh Wilson, Producer (Indianapolis, IN)
Email: josh(at)childrenoffa(dot)com
Phone: 317-514-3928
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jackpennington/children-of-faith-assembly
Website: http://www.childrenoffaithassembly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildrenOfFA
Twitter: @ChildrenofFA
Footnotes
1 New York Times, 'Hobart Freeman Dies; Indicted Head of Sect,' December 10, 1984
(http://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/10/obituaries/hobart-freeman-dies-indicted-head-of-a-sect.html)