News Release -- SALVATION ARMY TO HOST CHRISTIAN FILM FESTIVAL
The local Salvation Army announced today that September 23-24 they will host a weekend film festival of recently released Christian-themed films. The intent is for this to be the first of an annual event that grows to attract a national audience to Columbia.
Columbia, MO – Leaders of The Salvation Army of Columbia announced today that the launch of SalvationFest (www.salvationfest.com). An annual film festival which will feature recently released Christian-themed films, and is scheduled for September 23 and 24. Organizers are hopeful the festival will attract a national audience in coming years.
“SalvationFest will be unlike anything else in Columbia and we hope for it to grow into a national event,” Columbia Corps Officer Major Kevin Cedervall said. “Our goal is to create a community event that families can enjoy together.”
Films will be shown and other activities will be held in three venues – First Christian Church, First Presbyterian Church, and Woodcrest Chapel. In addition to the movies, SalvationFest will host discussions about them as well as musical performances. Awards will be given for various categories based on jury and audience selection.
Tickets range from $5 to $45 and are available at www.salvationfest.com. All proceeds from the event will support The Salvation Army.
Current festival sponsors are The Salvation Army, First Christian Church, First Presbyterian Church, Woodcrest Chapel, and Floating Ax Technologies. For those interested, sponsorship information is available at www.salvationfest.com.
“We are pretty excited to support and take part in SalvationFest,” First Christian Church minister Dr. Brad Stagg said. “It is an opportunity for us to touch the community in a big way and bring everyone together, sharing a movie experience we can all enjoy.”
The Salvation Army annually helps more than 23 million Americans overcome poverty, addiction and economic hardships through a range of social services. By providing food for the hungry, emergency relief for disaster survivors, rehabilitation for those suffering from drug and alcohol abuse, and clothing and shelter for people in need, The Salvation Army is doing the most good at 7,600 centers of operations around the country. In the first-ever listing of “America’s Favorite Charities” by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Salvation Army ranked as the country’s largest privately funded, direct-service nonprofit. For more information about The Salvation Army, please visit CentralUSA.SalvationArmy.org or your local Salvation Army at SalvationArmyCoMo.org.